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4 


MRS.  C.   M.  CHURCHILL. 


OVER  THE 


PurpleHills, 


SKETCHES  OF  TRAVEL  i\  CALIFORNIA, 


'.'  'I\<:     W.I.    ['HE    [MPOBTANT  -      \I.LV 

-  D    BY   roi 


By  CAROLINE   M.   CHURCHILL, 
Author  of  "  Little  Sheaves,"   "Class!*  ■."</.- 


!  lENVI  R  . 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1S7R,  by 

IAEOL1NE  M    CHURCHILL, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  ol  Congress,  at  Washington, 


Use 
C-?«x 


M.Y    Western   Matrons, 

THIS  VOLl'MK  IS  RESPECTFULLY   DEDICATED 


THE  AUTHOR. 


27 


PREFA(  IE. 


I  DESIRE  to  say  to  the  kind  and  appreciative  public  that 
in  submitting  this  edition  to  their  hands  without  a  care- 
ful revision,  1  do  so  because  the  Labors  of  the  past  year  have 
been  too  great  to  admit  of  my  using  time  in  that  direction. 
There  are  many  little  "  corners- of  speech"  which  should  be 
worn  down  and  polished,  if  the  only  object  of  the  writer  were 
to  please  the  reader  with  fine  language.  But  as  the  editions 
before  this  have  been  eagerly  bought  and  read  with  pleasure 
by  thousands  who  wish  to  see  California  scenery  by  the  aid 
of  a  woman's  eyes,  irrespective  of  occasional  errors,  gleefully 
pointed  out  by  critics  so  dainty  in  literary  taste  that  they  can 
neither  enjoy  anything  not  perfect,  nor  find  the  perfect  any- 
where—and as  there  come  to  the  author  daily  inquiries  for 
the  book,  even  as  it  is,  1  feel  it  a  duty  to  at  once  give  to  the 
world  this  edition,  thereby  increasing  the  Store  of  information 
in  circulation  among  the  world  of  people,  and  contributing 
to  their  happiness  to  the  extent  of  this  one  mite. 

The  Author 
Denver,  Jane,    1884. 


CONTENTS. 


SAN  FRANCISCO  AND  MAYFIELD 11 

MONTE  DIABLO 16 

BARTLETT'S  SPRINGS 25 

STOCKTON 39 

NAPA 74 

LAKETAHOE 83 

CORAL  OR  ALABASTER  CAVE 112 

GOING  INTO  THE  YOSEMITE  VALLEY 117 

WHAT  I  SAW  AND  HEARD  IN  THE  VALLEY  •     •     .135 
STRAWBERRYING  IN  THE  YOSEMITE  VALLEY    .   .154 

VERNAL  AND  NEVADA    FALLS 165 

MIRROR  LAKE 178 

LEAVING  YOSEMITE  VALLEY 181 

VISALIA  BRANCH  OF  CENTRAL  PACIFIC  RAILWAY  213 

MONTEREY 224 

VALLEJO 233 

PLACERVILLE 239 

SALT  LAKE  CITY 24 1 

THE  GOLDEN  STATE 253 

SAN  JOSE  IN   JUNE 260 


FIRST    IMPRESSIONS    OF   A    CALIFORNIA    EARTH- 
QUAKE   262 

SANTA  CLARA »65 

OVER  THE  MOUNTAINS  TO   SANTA    CRUZ    .     .     .  267 

JUNE  WEATHER  AND  TRADE  WINDS 272 

SUMMER  CLIMATE  IN  SAN  JOSE J77 

SAN  FRANCISCO 281 

THE  VERNAL  SEASON  ON  THE  PACIFIC  COAST  ■  .  287 

THE  SAN   JOAQUIN   RIVER 293 

GILROY 298 

LOS  ANGELES 302 

PETALUMA 310 

HEALDSBURG 314 

SANTA  ROSA ^17 

UPPER  PART  OF  NEVADA  COUNTY  IN  APRIL  .     .  318 

COLFAX,  CAL. 320 

GOLD   RUN 323 

DUTCH  FLAT :;^7 

BLUE   CANON 330 

RENO,  NEVADA 333 


L£ 


OVER  THE  PUKPLE  HILLS. 


s.\.\    FRANCISCO   AND    MAYFIELD. 


KAVING  San  Francisco  with  its  damp- 
^  freighted  winds,  I  never  more  fully  appre- 
ciated the  glories  of  the  interior,  those  por- 
tions of  the  State  protected  from  the  unpleasant 
features  of  the  coast  climate.  San  Francisco 
cannot  be  considered  an  unhealthy  city,  yel  per- 
sons with  certain  constitutional  peculiarities  and 
tendencies  can  never  have  even  passible  health 
Upon  the  west  Bide  of  the  coast  range.  A  family 
from  Detroit,  Michigan,  were  upon  the  train 
bound  for  Monteray,  and  it  was  refreshing  to 
hear    their    comments    upon    coining    from    the 


12  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

regions  of  snow  and  ice  to  the  plush-covered 
hills  of  California.  As  we  near  Menlo  Park  the 
Detroit  people  wonder  why  the  forest  trees  are 
not  cut  down  and  fruit  trees  planted  in  their 
stead.  They  Mere  answered  that  the  forest  trees 
were  preferable,  being  much  cleaner  and  nicer 
for  the  shade  of  a  park.  Fruit  is  so  easily  raised 
in  this  country,  and  so  plentiful,  that  it  is  often 
an  incumbrance  upon  the  ground.  The  trees 
frequently  commence  bearing  at  the  age  of  two 
and  three  years,  and  produce  so  abundantly  as 
to  cause  the  tree  to  perish  from  the  draught 
upon  its  vitality.  My  first  stopping  place  is 
Mayfield.  This  village  is  situated  in  Santa  Clara 
county,  surrounded  by  those  beautiful  foot-hills 
which  rise  like  fortifications  to  encompass  the 
valleys  all  over  the  varying  surface  of  this  pic- 
turesque country.  Mayfield  is  appropriately 
named;  it  is  as  fragrant  as  a  fresh  bouquet  of 
flowers,  and  this  vegetable  aroma  permeates  the 
atmosphere  at  nearly  all  seasons  of  the  year. 
Blessed  are  the  poor  who  can  leave  the  dingy 
city  and  find  a  chance  to  subsist  in  these  small 
towns  of  the  interior. 


SAN    FKANCISCO    AND    MAYFTELD.  13 

The  land  about  here  is  >aid  to  be  owned  in 
large  tracts,  so  that  the  small  fanner  has  no 
chance  except  by  renting-;  and  then  it  seems 
difficult  to  compete  with  those  who  do  business 
upon  such  a  gigantic  scale.  T  am  in  doubt  about 
the  number  of  the  population  of  Mayfleld,  but 
they  have  a  corner  grocery,  a  post  office,  an 
express  office,  blacksmith  shop,  and  commodious 
hotel.  In  point  of  size  the  latter  would  astonish 
a  stranger  not  familiar  with  the  demands  made 
upon  these  interior  villages.  During  summer 
many  of  the  inhabitants  of  San  Francisco  leave 
the  city  and  search  these  quiet  nooks,  where  the 
air  is  so  warm,  pure,  sweet,  and  the  fragrance  of 
vegetation  and  stillness  make  it  seem  like  an 
earthly  paradise.  People  come  in  flocks  from 
the  coast  to  get  warmed  from  the  chill  of  damp 
ocean  breezes.  It  is  quite  a  resort  for  sports- 
men; several  alighted  with  their  dogs  and  guns 
for  a  season  of  shooting.  Upon  touching  the 
si  »ft  green  grass  the  dogs  seemed  perfectly  crazy ; 
they  rolled  and  rubbed  themselves  in  the  sweet- 
scented  vegetation  and  whined  with  delight. 
While  the  men   were  waiting  for  a  conveyance 


14  OVKK    THE    PURPLE    HILL8. 

to  take  thrill  to  the  hunting  ground,  the  dogs 
played  scent  and  hunt  around  the  depot  in  glee- 
ful anticipation  of  the  game  that  was  to  be 
brought  to  sorrow.  By-and-by  the  wagons  came 
and  they  were  all  tumbled  in  and  commanded  to 
keep  quiet.  The  creatures  licked  their  lips  as 
if  to  seal  them,  for  it  evidently  required  much 
effort  for  them  to  conceal  their  enthusiasm. 

Mountainview  is  another  station  upon  the 
road,  the  real  town  or  name  .being  located  a  mile 
from  the  depot.  The  cottages  of  this  little 
hamlet  are  exceedingly  small  and  rustic,  and  the 
gardens  appear  like  the  grounds  assigned  to  pre- 
cocious youth  that  the  young  idea  might  be 
trained  to  agricultural  pursuit.-.  Mountainview, 
like  most  of  these  small  inland  towns,  has  a 
good  hotel  .'ind  a  picturesque  school  house,  sur- 
rounded  by  the  bushy-topped  native  oak,  and  the 
people  who  support  well  this  public  institution 
are  in  a  fair  way  to  sometime  occupy  more 
spacious  dwellings  and  enjoy  more  extensive 
gardens.  If  the  human  brain  is  disciplined  to 
think  :i  country  must  he  poor  indeed  that  shall 
g  made  to  yield  them  wealth,  hut  the  >■' 


SAN    FRANCISCO    AND    MAYHEM).  15 

soil  and  tinest  climate  upon  the  earth  will  only 
produce  human  animals,  (classes  excepted,)  where 
the  educational  interest  of  the  working  people  is 
neglected.  There  is  probably  no  country  in  the 
world  where  people  can  endure  poverty  as  well 
as  in  this.  The  climate  is  so  mild  that  with  a 
rude  shelter,  a  few  acres  of  land  even  rented,  two 
or  three  goats,  or  a  cow.  with  ordinary  industry, 
almost  any  family  can  gain  a  subsistence.  Many 
emigrants  come  here  from  the  older  States. 
recline  upon  the  dignity  of  American  citizen- 
ship, refusing  to  do  the  work  performed  by 
the  Chinaman,  consequently  this  enterprising 
heathen  is  laying  up  a  competency  while  the 
American  Micawber  is  growing  rusty  and 
anticipating  starvation.  Well,  it  is  my  opinion 
that  the  man  who  will  starve  in  California,  unless 
by  accident,  might  as  well  be  out  of  the  way. 
The  absurd  dignity  of  extreme  poverty  can  only 
be  equalled  by  its  inconsistency. 
April. 


MONTE   DIABLO. 


MONTE  DIABLO  is  the  name  of  a  prom- 
inence three  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  fifty-eight  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
This  point  occurs  about  twenty-eight  miles  from 
San  Francisco,  and  is  the  terminus  of  one  spur 
of  the  coast  range.  There  are  many  higher 
points  upon  the  coast  than  Monte  Diablo,  but 
from  its  peculiar  position  it  gives  one  of  the 
most  extensive  landscape  views  in  the  known 
world.  The  eye  has  a  range  from  Lasson's  Peak 
in  the  north  to  Whitney's  in  the  south,  a  distance 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty-live  miles,  giving 
an  area  as  large  as  the  whole  state  of  New  York. 
The  P'aralone  Islands,  forty  miles  out  at  sea,  can 
be  traced  rising  in  the  misty  distance  like  the 
white  walls  of  a  vast  storehouse.  The  checkered 
(16) 


MONTE    DIx\BLO.  17 

streets  of  San  Francisco  with  its  shipping  may 
be  seen  upon  one  hand  and  the  dome  of  the  State 
House  at  Sacramento  upon  the  other.  In  the 
north  looms  up  the  weird  Buttes  and  the  snow 
clad  Shasta,  and  in  the  east  the  cloud  capped 
Sierras.  Thirty-six  towns  and  villages  can  be 
counted  from  this  elevation  ;  bays,  rivers  and 
islands  lie  before  the  vision  as  if  traced  upon 
a  map.  Suisun  Bay  and  San  Pabloe  appear  like 
little  inland  lakes.  It  is  said  that  one  of  'the 
most  sublime  features  of  this  locality  is  its  storms; 
as  there  is  neither  thunder  nor  lightning  acc-om- 
paning  them,  there  is  little  to  fear  except  the 
temporary  effect  of  the  wind.  The  voice  of  the 
storm  is  an  indescribable,  high  toned  roar,  the 
crash,  din  and  tumult  being  really  enjoyable. 
These  coast  mountains  have  not  the  grand  old 
pine  forests  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  the  growth 
being  limited  to  scrub  oak  and  small  shrubs  and 
many  of  them  only  the  dried  grasses  to  cover  the 
naked  earth.  Still  there  is  something  attractive 
about  them  if  it  is  only  to  give  a  crooked  variety 
of  outline  to  the  horizon.  The  foot-hills  are 
fertile  and  susceptible  of  cultivation  as  well  as 
2 


18  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

making  an  excellent  range  for  grazing  purposes. 
I  tarried  four  days  about  Monte  Diablo,  and  had 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  one  of  the  most  gorgeous 
sunsets  that  I  ever  beheld. 

The  ocean  fog  and  mist  came  Hying  up  the 
ravine  past  the  hotel  in  such  distinct  vapory 
forms  as  to  cause  one  to  speak  of  them  as  living 
creatures.  In  fact  the  canon  seemed  a  thor- 
oughfare where  the  fog  was  drafted  by  the  air 
from  the  ocean  and  valley  to  certain  points  near 
the  mountain  tops.  The  course  of  these  flying 
vapors  was  so  marked,  and  they  flitted  so  steadily 
but  silently  by  that  they  formed  a  feature  of 
great  interest.  The  doors  of  the  hotel  had  been 
closed  to  prevent  any  straggling  damps  from 
entering;  everything  appeared  foggy  and  gloomy. 
All  at  once  a  west  window  was  lighted  up,  as  if 
by  the  sudden  blaze  of  a  bonfire.  A  young  girl 
screamed  and  looked  frightened,  exclaiming  "O 
dear,  the  valley  is  all  on  lire!"  As  the  sun  was 
sinking  in  the  west  and  his  beams  assumed  the 
right  focus,  all  this  gloom  changed  in  the  twink- 
ling of  an  eye,  and  the  fog  became  a  bright  flame 
color,  still   keeping  its  billowy  identity.     View- 


MONTE    DIABLO.  19 

ing  it  from  the  elevation  of  the  hotel  some  dis- 
tance above  the  valley  the  effect  was  wonderful. 
In  a  few  moments  it  changed  from  a  flame  color 
i  to  a  light  yellow,  and  as  the  sun  disappeared  it 
shed  a  beautiful  pink  shade  upon  the  mist,  giving 
the  ravine  and  whole  valley  the  appearance  of 
being  draped  in  undulating  folds  of  pink  tarlton. 
This  gradually  faded  to  white,  then  to  a  leaden 
blue,  and  the  last  that  I  saw  of  the  scene,  those 
misty  ghosts  were  chasing  one  another  up  the 
ravine,  just  as  they  did  before  the  illumination, 
only  a  little  faster  and  with  vapors  more  con- 
densed. 

The  next  morning  I  ascended  the  summit  that 
I  might  see  what  had  become  of  those  foggy 
flocks  driving  for  the  hill  tops  the  night  before. 
There  they  were  to  my  astonishment,  having 
reached  a  certain  altitude  they  had  halted  to  rest, 
hovering  over  the  foot-hills  upon  the  south  side  of 
Monte  Diablo,  completely  covering  them  from 
sight,  like  so  many  snowy  fleeces,  for  they  had 
changed  the  lead  colored  traveling  dress  and  were 
all  robed  in  white.  The  summit  of  Diablo  was 
entirely  above  this  ocean  of  mist  and  upon  the 


20  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

north  the  landscape  was  as  clear  as  if  the  hills 
upon  the  south  side  of  the  point  were  not  entirely 
enveloped  in  this  downy  covering.  What  a  kind 
provision  of  nature  !  the  drafts  of  air  just  suck 
these  clouds  of  fog  up  the  ravines;  here  they  cling 
around  the  hill  tops  until  eaten  up  by  a  tropical 
sun,  or  are  poured  out  in  draughts  of  rain,  which 
runs  into  the  valleys,  giving  this  water  first  to 
the  mountains,  next  to  the  valleys,  lastly  the 
rivers.     Truly, 

"  He  moves  in  a  mysterious  way, 
His  wonders  to  perform." 

At  this  season  of  the  year  the  clouds  do  not 
amount  to  rain,  although  they  moisten  vegeta- 
tion wherever  they  appear,  that  is  all  along  the 
coast  and  save  the  necessity  of  irrigation. 

Old  Sol  in  his  morning  rounds  searches  out 
every  obscure  hollow  or  indentation  where  vapors 
have  dared  to  gather  during  his  temporary 
absence,  and  when  his  beams  strike  the  spot 
little  spirits  of  vapor  are  seen  to  rise  up  as 
distinctly  and  rapidly  as  the  smoke  from  the  flue 
of  a  chimney  and  are  gone  in  a  moment,  swal- 
lowed by  this  yellow-faced  ogre.     Looking  down 


MONTE    DIABLO.  21 

upon  this  ocean  of  fog,  I  could  imagine  it  peo- 
pled with  ethereal  beings,  as  it  would  require 
but  an  occasional  flap  of  angel  wings  to  keep 
afloat  upon  this  beautiful  sea  of  glory. 

When  sinking  nearly  through,  one  could 
obtain  a  rare  view  of  the  scarlet  poppy  fields, 
the  soft  green  hills  and  picturesque  animal  life 
peacefully  grazing,  and  while  the  sun  is  scatter- 
ing the  fog-cloud,  I  look  to  the  north  and  see 
the  discolored  waters  of  the  Sacremento  and  the 
San  Joaquin  rivers  with  their  soiled  tributaries 
slowly  coursing  along,  uniting  in  one  body  before 
passing  the  Golden  Gate  to  enter  the  great  peace- 
ful ocean.  Tracing  these  rivers  from  their  source 
until  they  reach  their  destiny,  how  much  they 
resemble  the  course  of  human  life.  Falling 
from  the  clouds  a  pure  snow-flake,  pillowed  for 
a  time  upon  the  lofty  mountain  tops,  there  to  be 
vanned  into  liquid  bodies,  carried  below  by  cir- 
cumstances to  the  great  world  of  usefulness,  for 
a  time  maintaining  its  purity  of  color  to  the 
admiration  of  the  sentimental  tourist  and  prac- 
tical native,  dispensing  blessings  to  thirsty  vega- 
table  and  animal  life.     As  it  descends  further,  it 


22  OVER   THE    PURPLE   HILLS. 

is  concentrated  into  iron  pipes  and  wooden  flumes 
and  dashed  with  Niagara  force  into  the  red  clay 
bank  to  start  from  its  hiding  place  the  yellow 
gold  dust  which  it  baptises  to  a  new  life  of  use- 
fulness. Here  the  die  is  cast,  henceforth  until 
the  sea  is  reached,  must  the  river  which  first 
came  to  earth  a  snow-flake,  travel  through  all 
its  life  of  utility  with  the  stain  of  soil  upon  its 
bosom,  and  the  signs  of  its  uses  marked  in  all 
its  varying  phases.  The  days  of  its  romance 
are  ended,  the  dashing  cascade  and  coquetish 
waterfall,  its  wayward  wanderings  through  groves 
and  woods,  its  deep  and  quiet  thoughtful  moods, 
its  spreading  out  to  hold  the  plain  then  shrink- 
ing to  its  banks  again,  an  emblem  of  our  life  to 
lend,  it  chafes  its  banks  until  the  end. 

If  it  were  not  for  contemplating  the  destruc- 
tion of  life  and  property  in  the  valleys,  the  rising 
of  those  rivers  from  Monte  Diablo  would  be  one 
of  the  grandest  sights  in  the  world.  Swollen 
five  times  their  natural  size,  filled  with  monster 
trees  and  drift-wood  of  every  conceivable  shape, 
the  mountain  sending  their  furious  little  torrent 
down  their  sides,  and   the  roaring  rapid  current 


MONTE    DIABLO.  23 

lending  the  facination  of  force  to  the  scene,  all  to- 
gether forming  a  fearful,  moving  picture,  while 
we  could  stand  on  Monte  Diablo's  top  and  view 
the  landscape  o'er.  These  scenes  have  the  effect 
upon  my  nature  to  arouse  sleeping  sublimity 
and  veneration,  and  once  a  day  I  resolve  myself 
into  a  methodist  prayer  meeting,  stealing  away 
around  the  hills  where  I  have  a  fine  view  of  the 
valley,  here  to  sing  sacred  pieces  and  read  a  selec- 
tion from  the  Psalms  of  David.  I  found  pecu- 
liar comfort  in  reading  aloud  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land burial  service,  for  I  imagine  the  green, 
oblong  mounds  to  be  the  graves  of  the  gods 
where  they  have  lain  down  to  rest  themselves 
after  some  very  fatiguing  labors,  with  their 
heads  reclining  heavenwards,  and  have  forgotten 
to  rise  again  and  become  a  part  of  the  everlast- 
ing hills  to  share  alike  in  their  misty  cloud-caps, 
purple  mantles  and  beautiful  dresses  of  green 
and  autumn  brown.  The  birds  seem  to  catch  the 
inspiration  of  the  scene  and  remain  suspended 
on  fluttering  wing,  hovering  over  the  enchanted 
valley. 

I  returned  to  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  and 


24 


OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 


practical  life  by  the  Sanramoon  Valley  to  Liver- 
more.  This  route  to  Monte  Diablo  is  most  desira- 
ble. The  Sanramoon  Valley  is  one  of  the  most 
productive  spots  in  the  whole  State  and  is  under 
fine  cultivation.  Fields  of  wheat  were  standing 
fence  high,  green  as  a  meadow,  and  level  as  a  house 
floor,  and  so  heavily  laden  as  to  tremble  in  the 
breeze  from  their  weight.  Orchards  loaded  with 
fruit,  in  fact,  everything  wearing  a  look  of  lux- 
urient  prosperity.  The  soil  is  dark  and  rich. 
Shade  trees  are  planted  for  miles  along  the  pub- 
lic highway.  The  meadow  lark,  and  linnet,  quail 
and  robin,  all  were  singing  "  more  wheat,  big 
vheat,  sweet  wheat,  we'll  eat  the  wheat." 
May. 


BARTLETT'S  SPRINGS. 

'|jM-£OM  Cloverdale,  which  is  the  present  ter- 
-A  minus  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad, 
the  route  to  Bartlett's  Springs  is  literally  up- 
ward and  onward.  After  reaching  the  Springs 
one  fully  realizes  that  they  lie  over  the  hills  and 
far  away.  The  ride  of  twenty-seven  miles  from 
Cloverdale  to  Kelserville  is  about  the  same  in 
points  of  interest  as  the  mountain  roads  usually 
are  throughout  the  State.  The  scenery  grand, 
ever  varying,  and  every  change  bringing  with  it 
new  beauties  in  the  singular  formation  of  the 
mountain  landscape.  There  is  the  finest  variety 
of  wild  flowers  upon  this  route  that  I  have  ever 
observed  upon  any  of  the  mountain  roads  in 
California.  Leaving  Cloverdale  at  six  a.  m.,  we 
arrive  at  a  little  place  called  Kelserville  at  Wo 
(25) 


26  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

p.  m.  Here  again  is  verified  the  adages  which 
declare  that  "  there  is  nothing  in  a  name,"  "and 
that  a  rose  would  smell  as  sweet  by  any  other." 
The  tourist  will  readily  concede  that  as  a  village 
Kclserville  comes  as  near  to  nothing  as  anything 
can,  and  at  the  same  time  have  been  duly  chris- 
tened; also  that  it  would  smell  as  sweet  by  any 
other  cognomen.  There  are  several  gas  springs 
located  about  one-half  mile  from  the  hotel. 
These  openings  emit  the  most  abominable  gase- 
ous odors  that  are  manufactured  in  his  Satanic 
majesty's  kingdom.  An  iron  tube  is  placed  in 
one  of  these  infernal  outlets,  which  collects  the 
gas  in  a  stream,  so  that  when  ignited  a  beautiful 
blue  blaze  shoots  up  about  two  feet  in  height. 
This  matter,  which  a  moment  before  belonged  to 
the  invisible  world,  now  becomes  a  living  reality 
to  more  than  one  of  the  senses.  These  springs 
must  be  visited  at  night,  as  the  color  of  che 
burning  gas  is  so  pale  at  daylight  as  to  be 
scarcely  visible.  The  practical  mind  at  once 
feels  a  longing  to  utilize  this  liberal  production 
of  mother  nature,  and  the  imagination  sets  to 
running  pipes  miles  away  over  the  hills,  to  carry 


bartlett's  springs.  27 

this  illuminating  fluid  to  towns  and  cities,  where 
it  may  be  used  for  lighting  streets  and  dwellings, 
for  chemical  and  scientific  purposes,  and  the  con- 
venience of  the  culinary  department,  and  thereby 
fulfill  the  destiny  of  nature  to  supply  the  wants 
of  the  primitive  God-Man.  The  mind  of  the 
visionary  religionist  creates  an  altar  where  sacri- 
fice could  be  offered  to  the  Maker  of  the  universe, 
and  where  the  fires  of  eternal  incense  might 
ascend  upward  forever. 

How  consistent!  to  make  an  offering  to  the 
God  of  the  religionist  of  the  most  abominable 
chemical  production  of  his  Satanic  majesty's 
infernal  laboratory. 

Leaving  this  part  of  the  kingdom  inferno,  we 
proceed  seven  miles  through  a  small  tillable  vale 
of  land  to  the  village  of  Lakeport,  situated  upon 
the  margin  of  Clear  Lake.  The  county  was 
called  Lake  because  of  the  numerous  bodies  of 
water  coming  to  the  surface,  as  if  to  fill  the 
mouths  of  extinct  craters.  The  town  of  Lake- 
port  contains  about  two  or  three  hundred  inhabi- 
tants, is  the  county  seat,  has  a  new  brick  court- 
house, and  a  row  of  beautiful  native  oaks  standing 


28  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS, 

in  the  center  of  the  streets.  I  think  there  are  as 
many  as  thirty  of  these  mighty  shades  along  in 
one  row,  spreading  their  sheltering  arms  impar- 
tially over  all  who  pass  upon  the  street,  as  if 
bestowing  a  blessed  benediction.  Clear  Lake  is 
a  body  of  water  so  exactly  in  appearance  and  sur- 
roundings like  Washoe  Lake,  in  the  State  of 
Nevada,  that  one  feels  as  if  viewing  the  same 
little  American  Galilee.  A  small  steamer  is  in 
course  of  construction  for  navigating  this  lake. 
This  body  of  water,  which  appears  to  the  beholder 
to  be  about  three  miles  in  length,  is  in  reality 
thirty-six  miles,  but  winds  its  way  through  the 
valleys  and  gorges  of  the  mountains,  so  that  it 
is  ever  reappearing  when  one  is  miles  upon  the 
road,  like  a  beautiful  face  seen  again  after  a  sup- 
posed final  parting.  This  country  is  very  mount- 
ainous, with  a  remarkably  fine  climate,  and  is 
settled  mostly  with  invalids.  They  are  far  from 
market,  with  surroundings  so  nigged  as  scarcely 
to  be  accessible  to  railroads.  The  consequence  is 
the  inhabitants  feel  poor,  and  talk  as  if  hope- 
lessly resigned  to  this  condition  of  things.  I  do 
not  believe  that  it  need  be  true  of  Lake  county 


bartlett's  springs.  29 

that  it  shall  never  develop  wealth  because  of  not 
being  an  agricultural  district.  When  its  resources 
for  rearing  sheep,  goats  and  cattle  are  fully 
known,  we  shall  see  that  wealth  can  be  produced 
from  something  besides  wheat. 

In  this  route  to  Bartlett's  the  road  takes  a 
winding  ascent  over  the  mountains.  As  we  pass 
we  discover  campers  all  through  these  hills,  who 
have  come  to  recreate  for  a  time  in  the  delightful 
mountain  atmosphere.  In  a  climate  of  such 
equality  of  temperature  it  seems  absolutely  neces- 
sary  for  its  inhabitants  to  have  a  change  of  alti- 
tude, in  order  to  secure  the  atmospheric  elements 
supplied  in  other  countries  by  the  greater  varia- 
tion of  the  seasons.  It  is  surprising  what  an 
amount  of  physical  exercise  and  fatigue  one  can 
endure  when  in  a  mountain  climate,  if  the  alti- 
tude is  not  too  great.  And  how  one  will  sleep! 
and  sleep  seems  so  refreshing.  To  me  the  mount- 
ains are  earth's  paradise.  I  would  rather  be  a 
herder  of  sheep  or  cattle  in  this  pure  breath  of 
nature's  than  live  in  a  palace  within  the  foul 
scented  city,  with  its  endless  bustle  and  everlast- 
ing crash  and  din  of  commingling  noises.     It  is 


ZO  OVER    THE    PURPLE    RILLS. 

no  longer  a  wonder  to  me  that  these  mount- 
aineers cleave  to  their  native  hills  until  they 
become  like  wild  men,  in  many  respects  closely 
resembling  the  flocks  they  attend.  Many  of 
them  permit  their  locks  to  become  an  entangled 
mass,  as  inaccessible  to  comb  or  brush  as  the 
impenetrable  shrubs  of  their  own  hills.  How 
delightful  from  a  pulpit  of  rocks  to  declaim  one's 
best  productions  to  the  wondering  sheep  and 
goats,  and  pour  out  sweet-strained  music,  to  be 
encored  by  the  ever  appreciating  echo  of  the  sur- 
rounding hills.  To  descend  with  a  sense  of  hav- 
ing discharged  a  duty  to  the  masses,  (of  rock) 
and  receive  the  congratulatory  paw  of  one's 
faithful  assistant.  Bowser,  who  is  clothed  (if  not 
for  this  occasion  especially)  in  silken  coat,  with 
handsome  fringe  running  from  the  tips  of  his 
beautiful  ears  to  the  point  of  his  toes;  then  I 
am  sure  of  the  love  of  an  humble,  faithful  friend 
in  one  of  God's  creatures  at  least.  I  expect 
much  of  humanity;  and  because  they  fall  so  mis- 
erably short  of  these  expectations  I  am  inclined 
to  feel  for  them  contempt,  and  to  seek  compan 
ionship  in  the  lower  order  of  creatures,  who,  if 


babtlett's  springs.  31 

they  are  not  intellectual  equals,  do  not  manifest 
the  disagreeable  traits  of  the  inferior  human 
animal. 

Harriett's  Springs  are  situated  in  the  northern 
part  of  Lake  county,  upon  a  spur  of  the  coast 
range.  They  are  about  forty  miles  east  from 
Ukia  and  sixty  from  Colusa.  Any  one  desirous 
of  knowing  the  locality  can  easily  find  it  by 
referring  to  the  map  of  California  containing  the 
counties  or  the  county  seat  towns.  There  are  no 
settlements  to  speak  of  within  twenty -five  or 
thirty  miles  of  this  location,  although  stores  and 
saloons  may  be  found  hidden  away  in  some  silent 
ravine,  where  excursionists,  campers  and  strag- 
glers can  procure  almost  any  common  staple, 
from  whisky  and  tobacco  to  bag  strings,  paper 
collars  and  patent  medicines.  These  springs 
were  discovered  to  possess  medicinal  properties 
by  the  owner  of  the  land,  a  mountaineer,  by  the 
name  of  Bartlett,  who  knowing  the  water  to  be 
sweet,  pure  and  cold,  came  here  when  sick,  as  he 
supposed  unto  death,  and  camped  near  them, 
expecting  to  lay  his  bones  here,  and  that,  too,  in 
a  brief  time.     This  water  he  used  for  cooking, 


32  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

drinking  and  washing.  The  results  were  that  in 
a  few  days  he  began  to  improve,  his  rheumatism 
left  him  entirely,  and  he  became  perfectly  sound. 
This  discovery  was  made  in  1869.  Since  then 
many  have  sought  and  found  relief  in  using  these 
waters.  The  man,  Bartlett,  is  said  to  be  from 
one  of  the  Southwestern  States,  is  a  person  of 
excellent  common  sense,  but  with  no  other  edu- 
cation than  that  acquired  by  the  wild  hunter 
and  sheep  herder  in  pursuit  of  a  most  primitive 
livelihood.  Entirely  unaccustomed  to  the  asso- 
ciations of  the  wealthy  or  educated,  he  has  very 
naturally  formed  strong  prejudices  against  classes 
of  human  beings  of  whom  he  knows  nothing 
scarcely,  hence  he  utterly  refuses  to  let  this  prop- 
erty pass  into  the  hands  of  the  capitalist  who 
could  make  it  one  of  the  most  desirable  places 
of  resort  upon  this  coast.  The  property  has 
been  leased  for  a  term  of  three  or  four  years. 
For  this  length  of  time  it  will  not  pay  the  lessee 
to  expend  any  thing  for  permanent  improvements, 
so  that  the  buildings  that  are  put  upon  the  place 
arc  of  the  most  unsubstantial  character,  being 
built  mostly  of    red   wood  shakes.      There   are 


BARTLETT's    SPRINGS.  35 

about  seventy-five  of  these  structures  upon  a 
piece  of  table  land  where  the  springs  come  forth. 
Some  of  these  cabins  are  accommodated  with  a 
chimney  running  up  on  the  outside  after  the 
manner  of  the  chimneys  in  Southern  States,  and 
many  families'  prefer  to  do  their  own  cooking. 
The  hotel  is""  a  long  wooden  structure,  mostly 
dining  room  and  porch,  there  being  little  room 
for  lodgings,  most  of  the  boarders  at  the  hotel 
lodge  in  the  shake  cottages.  Myself  and  lady 
friend  were  shown  to  one  of  these  cabins  meas- 
uring eighteen  by  twenty,  divided  into  four  c • 'in- 
payments, and  facetiously  called  the  "  Cliff 
House."  We  were  soon  installed  in  one  of  these 
quarter  sections  at  ten  dollars  a  head  per  week, 
board  included.  When  our  trunks  were  placed 
inside  there  was  only  room  enough  for  one  chair, 
so  it  became  necessary  when  both  were  at  home 
for  one  to  always  be  in  a  reclining  position,  as 
the  bed  was  so  high  as  to  preclude  the  possi 
bility  of  using  it  for  a  sofa.  Our  visitors  were 
received  upon  the  outside  of  the  house  where 
two  persons  could  be  seated  at  once  upon  a  dis- 
carded apple  box  turned  up  side-wise.     The  bed- 


34  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

steads  were  of  the  most  simple  possible  structure, 
so  loosely  put  together  as  to  tremble  and  totter 
with  the  weight  of  one  person  ;  they  were  clear 
from  bugs,  thank  fortune,  and  I  never  slept  bet- 
ter than  when  at  these  Springs.  We  found  the 
hotel  table  very  well  supplied  with  edibles,  only 
in  a  few  articles  did  the  parsimony  or  small  econ- 
omy of  the  proprietor  manifest  itself.  The  pota- 
toes were  so  exceedingly  minute  as  to  really 
provoke  mirth  whenever  they  were  presented. 
At  last  I  ventured  to  ask  where  in  the  world  or 
in  California  were  those  potatoes  raised.  He 
answered  very  meekly  that  they  came  from 
Colusa,  a  poor  place  for  potatoes.  This  satisfied 
me  for  the  time,  as  then  I  had  never  been  in 
Colusa.  I  afterwards  spent  two  weeks  in  that 
town,  and  am  inclined  to  believe  the  above  state- 
ment a  slander  on  Colusa,  as  I  saw  no  insignifi- 
cance in  anything  raised  in  those  parts. 

1  think'  now  that  those  vegetables  were  im- 
ported ;  not  a  native  of  California  at  all.  The 
milk  was  excellent  ;  indeed  it  might  have  been 
watered  from  Bartlett's  spring  without  injury  to 
the  flavor,  as  this   water   is   nearly   as  sweet  as 


babtlett's  springs.  35 

maple  sap.  The  water  known  as  Bartlett's 
spring,  boils  up  right  at  the  foot  of  one  of  those 
stupenduous  land  bubbles  which  form  these 
mountain  ranges.  It  is  clear  as  crystal,  and  too 
cold  to  take  into  the  system  until  its  tempera- 
ture is  modified  by  standing  awhile  after  being 
taken  from  the  spring.  There  is  not  a  speck  of 
anything  to  be  seen  in  thi>  water,  neither  ani- 
mate or  inanimate.  It  has  a  sweetish  taste,  as  if 
there  might  he  an  ounce  of  the  best  loaf  sugar 
to  three  gal  Ions  of  water.  This  is  supposed  to 
be  arsenic.  I  did  not  see  the  report  of  a  chemi- 
cal analysis,  although  I  understand  there  has 
been  one  mane,  but  not  entirely  satisfactory  to 
the  chemist  himself.  The  most  wonderful  char- 
acteristic of  this  water  is  that  it  will  not  corrode 
metals.  Tin  is  brightened  by  being  brought  in 
contact  with  this  fluid,  and  iron  lying  in  its  out- 
let  will  not  rust.  Metals  are  made  brighter  by 
being  infused  in  its  waters. 

There  is  another  spring  known  as  the  Bartlett 
Soda,  lying  a  short  distance  from  the  spring  ; 
this  is  strongly  impregnated  with  iron,  and  every 
thing   about   it   is  colored   with  this  sediment. 


36  OVEK    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

The  water  produces  the  same  stinging  sensation 
made  by  drinking  the  manufactured  soda.  Near 
this  spring  is  a  huge,  brown  bowlder,  standing 
out  as  if  desirous  of  plunging  into  the  table  land 
lying  below,  and  only  prevented  by  some  invisi- 
ble outside  pressure.  This  rock  has  a  history, 
which  I  will  relate  as  told  me  by  a  resident  of 
the  place  ever  since  the  springs  were  discovered. 
An  insane  man  of  the  harmless  order  of  luna- 
tics was  brought  here  to  test  the  healing  waters 
upon  the  diseased  brain.  One  day  he  was  taken 
with  a  violent  desire  to  commit  suicide  ;  before 
preventive  measures- could  be  brought  to  bear, 
he  had  climbed  to  the  top  of  this  rock  and  taken 
a  Sam  Patch  lea})  into  the  ravine  below.  He  fell 
upor  the  mansineta  and  aside  from  a  few  scratches 
sustained  no  physical  injury —  scrambled  out  of 
the  brush,  and  arrived  at  the  hotel,  a  distance  of 
a  couple  of  hundred  yards,  a  perfectly  sane  man, 
and  has  had  no  return  of  the  symptoms  of  insan- 
ity since  ;  and  this  occurred  three  years  ago. 

At  the  time  1  visited  Bartlett's,  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  persons  were  upon  the  ground, 
mostly  persons  in  moderate  circumstances  who 


bartlktt's  springs.  37 

had  come  to  be  benefitted  by  the  healing  waters. 
The  spring  is  covered  by  a  small  rough  building, 
with  two  or  three  rude  benches  on  the  outside. 
Here  twenty  or  thirty  men  may  be  seen  sitting 
at  all  times  of  the  day  ;  poor,  forlorn,  miserable 
looking  creatures  ;  many  of  them  victims  of  bad 
whisky,  and  its  general  train  of  results  ;  totter- 
ing and  feeble  in  health,  tattered  in  raiment,  and 
shattered  in  hopes  and  fortune.  Many  of  them 
are  benefitted  by  these  waters,  and  many  a  pallid 
face  seen  here  can  only  be  benefitted  by  the 
waters  of  eternal  oblivion.  Poor  humanity,  how 
I  wish  it  had  entered  into  the  plan  of  divine 
economy  to  have  made  man  with  as  much  judg- 
ment about  taking  care  of  himself  as  the  beasts 
seem  to  possess.  TJie-e  men  linger  hopefully  near 
this  spring,  because  in  most  instances  too  weak  to 
walk  three  times  a  day  back  and  forth  from  their 
cabins.  They  prefer  the  water  fresh,  but  I  am 
convinced  that  it  is  not  as  well  taken  into  the 
stomach  too  cold.  The  efforts  of  this  group  to 
keep  in  the  shade  of  the  spring  house,  reminded 
me  of  the  story  of  Rip  Van  Winkle,  whom  it  is 
6aid  crawled   around  a  shade  tree  with  such  lazy 

27445 


38  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

precision  that  the  time  of  day  could  be  determ- 
ined by  his  attitude  as  accurately  as  by  a  sun 
dial. 

This  is  the  class  of  sufferers  who  appeal  to  the 
sympathies  of  the  original  discoverer,  and  make 
him  anxious  to  keep  the  place  from  those  who 
would  convert  it  into  a  fashionable  resort.  Some 
persons  come  and  stay  three  or  tour  months, 
while  the  hapless  pleasure  seeker,  pampered  with 
luxuries  and  entertained  with  amusements  at 
home,  generally  leave  at  the  end  of  two  days,  de- 
claring emphatically  that  Bartlett's  Springs  have 
no  charms  for  him.  There  is  not  a  thing  in  the 
way  of  amusements,  unless  it  be  one  billiard 
table,  and  one  poor  suffering  violin,  brought  here 
for  treatment  likely.  There -is  not  a  swing,  a 
croquet  set,  nor  piano,  nor  shaded  platform  for 
dancing,  speaking  or  concerts.  There  is,  how- 
ever, in  course  of  erection,  a  house  to  be  used 
for  such  purposes,  and  it  was  with  much  discre- 
tion and  forethought  placed  at  a  proper  distance 
from  the  camp,  so  that  the  sick  should  not  be 
•disturbed  with  the  sounds  of  revelry.  This  place 
is  wonderfully  silent.     People  with  little  surplus 


bartlett's  springs.  39 

vitality  have  no  strength  to  spend  in  making  a 
noise.  The  wheels  of  business  move  slowly 
about  —  there  seems  less  need  of  work  or  bustle 
when  people  are  languishing  between  life  and 
death,  or  waiting  for  the  worn  physical  system 
to  recuperate. 

T  spent  the  fourth  of  July,  1874,  in  this  place, 
and  never  since  in  the  United  States,  did  T  enjoy 
the  Nation's  birthday  as  well. 

Not  a  drum  was  heard,  not  a  shouting  note, 
Not  a  gun  was  fired  from  hill  or  moat, 
Not  a  cracker  burned,  not  a  roekei  fizzled, 
Not  a  house  was  fired,  not  an  engine  whistled  ; 
But  thoughtlessly,  carelessly,  every  one  stirred, 
As  if  the  birth  of  the  Nation  had  never  occurred 

Ailing  horses  are  frequently  brought  to  these 
springs  and  are  said  to  be  benefitted  the  same  as 
the  human  family.  Due  little  dog  and  his 
{faithful)  master  attracted  considerable  atten- 
tion as  they  trudged  past  three  times  a  day  to 
fieit  the  healing  spring.  The  dog  is  a  little  blue, 
Scotch  terrier,  and  came  to  this  bustling  world  in 
1852,  is  consequently  twenty-four  years  of  age, 
about    fortv   years   younger    than    his    kind  and 


4-0  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

appreciative  master,  in  whose  interests  and  love 
he  lias  always  shared,  and  who  are  now  grown 
old  together.  This  man  is  a  well-to-do  old  bach- 
elor,  a  native  of  the  Southwestern  States,  with 
limited  education,  but  possessing  much  native 
shrewdness  and  a  brave,  kind  heart.  This  canine 
has  been  his  constant  companion  for  years  and 
been  the  recipient  of  the  love  and  tenderness 
most  men  bestow  upon  their  wives  and  little 
ones.  He  comes  to  this  spring  every  summer 
with  the  understanding  that  his  own  health  is 
perfect,  but  that  Pinto's  appetite  is  poor,  and 
that  he  is  in  need  of  a  change.  One  of  the 
peculiar  features  of  interest  about  this  camp,  is 
contemplate  the  pile  of  wooden  staves  laid 
from  the  influence  of  this  wonderful  spring 
upon  rheumatic  invalids.  When  the  thermome- 
ter rises  to  ninety-five  or  a  hundred,  the  heat 
becomes  almost  unbearable  in  our  little  cribs  of 
cabins,  which  are  too  transparent  to  form  much 
of  a  protection  from  the  merciless  rays  of  the 
scorching  sun.  The  ground  upon  which  the 
cabins  are  located  forms  a  kind  of  basin  sur- 
rounded on  all  sides  by  hills  which  reflect  the  rays 


bartlett's  springs.  41 

of  heat,  and  when  it  is  airy  and  comfortable 
upon  these  elevations,  the  heat  upon  the  table 
land  will  be  intense  Boughs  were  brought  and 
placed  upon  the  top  of  the  i%  Cliff  House,"  and 
a  little  porch  made  and  covered  with  green 
branches,  and  then  it  became  necessary  to  hang 
nj>  our  blankets  in  front  of  the  porch  in  order 
to  screen  our  eye>  from  the  glaring  light  and 
heat  which  fell  with  such  intensity  upon  the 
yellow  sand. 

1  came  to  the  springs  because  afflicted  with  a 
peculiar  form  of  indigestion,  having  a  sensation 
after  eating  as  if  the  stomach  had  been  filled 
with  a  dry,  hard  substance,  like  gravel.  This 
sensation  would  continue  sometimes  two  hours, 
then  disappear  and  the  appetite  be  as  good  as 
ever  for  the  next  meal.  Writing  or  study  aggra- 
vated these  symptoms  very  much,  and  taking 
fluids  into  the  stomach  seemed  to  make  it  worse. 
The  first  experiment  I  tried  was  to  wait  until 
ensation  was  fully  established  after  eating, 
then  I  drank  a  pint  of  this  water  cold  as  it  came 
from  the  spring.  In  a  few  minutes  that  sense 
of  dryness  had  left  the  gastronomic  department, 


42  OVKk    THE    PURPLE   BILLS. 

and  never  returned  during  the  nine  days  which 
]  sojourned  at  the  springs.  When  I  left  I  took 
a  jug  of  the  water  with  me,  and  had  no  return 
of  these  symptoms  while  this  lasted.  When 
it  was  exhausted,  I  had  to  wait  three  days  for 
another  supply  to  reach  me,  and  those  symptoms 
returned  ;  upon  using  the  water,  they  again  dis- 
appeared. I  will  here  say,  if  I  had  taken  a  like 
quantity  of  any  other  fluid  after  eating,  it  Mould 
have  arrested  the  process  of  digestion  and  caused 
vomiting.  This  water  acts  as  a  gentle  purgative 
upon  the  bowels  ;  seemed  to  quiet  the  nerves 
and  produce  a  desire  for  sleep.  1  took  a  sound 
nap  of  an  hour  every  alternate  day,  and  that 
seemed  to  make  no  difference  with  a  refreshing, 
dreamless   sleep  of  eight  hours  at  night. 

LEAVING    BARTLETT'S    SPRINGS    FOE    COLUSA. 

At  six  o'clock  a.  m.  July  12th,  all  was  in  readi- 
ness for  a  start,  our  load  inside  the  coach  being 
composed  entirely  of  feminines  of  the  following- 
order:  Myself  and  lady  friend,  two  young  ladies 
and  two  little  misses.     Was  there  ever  such  a 


BARTLETTS    SPRINGS.  43 

number  of  pairs  accidently  brought  together 
before?  Two  masculines  were  seated  upon  the 
outside,  one  as  driver  and  the  other  as  assistant. 
We  were  drawn  by  a  team  of  four  larsre  mules, 
one  unaccustomed  to  harness,  and  represented  by 
the  driver  as  a  little  wild.  The  road  is  new,  nar- 
row and  very  rough.  This,  with  the  fractious 
addition  to  our  locomotion,  inspired  the  whole 
party  with  a  sense  of  insecurity  anything  but 
pleasant.  The  coach  tore  away  through  a  com- 
bination of  manzanita.  chaparral,  greasewood, 
eagre-brush  and  the  bush  of  a  thousand  thorns, 
occasionally  bumping  us  over  a  hard-head.  This 
had  the  strange  effect  upon  one  of  the  party  to 
cause  her  to  relate  the  old  story  of  Horace 
Greeley  and  Hank  Monk.  We  had  not  gone 
more  than  two  miles,  but  I  had  in  that  time 
learned  too  much  of  physical  suffering  to  raise  a 
voice  against  this  mental  affliction,  coiii-enuently 
bore  it  without  a  smile.  When  passing  into  a 
valley  we  were  met  by  a  couple  of  strangers, 
Missouri;!. ns  I  should  think,  dressed  in  cure 
colored  unmentionables,  one  carrying  in  his  hand 
a  canvas -covered  ham,  the  other  carrying  a  sack 


44  OVER   THE    PURPLE    HI] 

of  edibles  upon  his  shoulder.  These  men  caught 
sight  of  our  party  inside,  and  looked  with  un- 
shrinking gaze  until  the  coach  came  opposite, 
and  then  they  stood  stark  still  and  stared  until 
the  driver  stopped  the  coach  and  said,  ••Gentle- 
men, do  you  want  anything?"  They  never 
averted  this  gaze  to  see  the  .-ource  of  the  ques- 
tioning, hut  answered  with  a  drawling  "  N-o-o," 
as  if  in  a  study  of  too  profound  a  nature  to  be 
disturbed  with  idle  interrogations.  The  little 
girls  tittered,  the  young  ladies  giggled,  the 
matrons  smiled,  the  assisting  man  grinned,  and 
the  driver  "haw-hawed"  right  out.  The  man 
ahead  informed  us  that  they  continued  to  gaze  in 
wonder  and  astonishment  until  the  coach  was  out 
of  sight.  "Well,  did  I  ever!  "  was  the  generally 
expressed  sentiment,  and  the  circumstance  was 
soon  forgotten.  It  is  a  little  singular,  consider- 
ing how  many  robberies  are  committed  upon  this 
coast,  that  not  one  of  our  party  screamed  or 
thought  of  fainting.  We  did  not  have  Wells  & 
Fargo's  box  nor  Uncle  Sam's  mail;  only  a  load 
of  females,  a  cargo  often  coveted,  but  seldom 
surreptitiously  appropriated. 


bartlett's  springs.  45 

Shortly  after  passing  these  wondering  stran- 
gers, we  came  to  pass  a  couple  of  gentlemen 
riding  in  a  one-horse  buggy,  drawn  by  a  beautiful 
bay.  Two  handsome  shepherd  dugs  followed  on 
foot.  This  mountain  road  only  provides  half 
-.  and  this  party  met  our  mule  team  where 
there  was  not  even  a  half  pass.  The  mules  were 
driven  into  the  bank,  until,  as  if  in  anticipation 
of  coming  events,  they  placed  their  ears  close  to 
their  heads.  The  beautiful  hay  was  reined  out, 
and  from  the  uneveness  of  the  gronnd,  fell  floun- 
dering in  the  brush.  The  gentlemen  in  the 
buggy  looked  serene,  as  if  perfectly  confident  of 
the  success  of  mind  over  matter,  finally  con- 
cluded to  descend  and  disentangle  as  far  as  pos- 
sible. A  word  of  encouragement  to  the  patient 
horse,  and  he  lay  perfectly  quiet  while  the  buggy 
wae  tilted  up  by  hand  and  passed  by  our  formi- 
dable hubs.  Then  the  harness  was  loosed  and  the 
horse  commanded  to  rise,  which  he  did  with  the 
caution  of  a  reasoning  being.  When  once  fairly 
on  his  feet,  in  the  road  again,  was  patted  and 
praised  for  this  exhibition  of  good  sense,  a 
method  of  treatment  that  horses  well  know  how 


4o  OVER   THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

to  appreciate.  The  two  handsome  dogs  were  on 
hand,  lolling  out  their  red  tongues,  appearing  as 
much  interested  as  any  one  of  the  party.  In  the 
meantime  our  mules  danced  and  kept  their  ears 
in  position  for  anything  that  might  occur  till  the 
cracking  of  the  brush  ceased.  I  became  so  much 
interested  in  the  extrication  of  the  horse,  the 
prancing  of  our  own  team,  and  the  two  dogs, 
that  1  found  myself  outside  of  the  coach  stand- 
ing upon  the  side-hill  where  the  brush  was  so 
compact  that  I  could  not  have  walked  a  rod  if  a 
grizzly  bear  had  been  in  prospect.  I  wonder 
why  drivers  will  always  be  so  profuse  in  their 
advice  to  nervous  women  at  such  times,  declar- 
ing, with  vehemence,  that  there  is  no  danger. 
I  belong  to  a  class  of  women  who  have  not 
unlimited  confidence  in  the  assertions  of  man  at 
any  time.  Providing  there  is  no  danger,  women 
frequently  Buffer  more  from  fear  and  nervousness 
than  they  would,  perhaps,  if  the  danger  was  real- 
ized, and  where  is  the  economy  in  endeavoring 
to  compel  forbearance  when  the  trouble  of 
alighting  will  quiet  all  fears.  After  his  passing 
event,  we  are  again  on  our  crooked  and  narrow 


bartlett's  springs.  47 

way.  Presently  the  driver  calls  the  attention  of 
the  party  to  a  deer  walking  leisurly  along.  The 
mules  prepare  their  ears;  the  children  shout  in 
surprise  at  the  creature's  indifference.  One  of 
the  men  express  a  desire  for  a  gun,  while  I  enjoy 
the  fact  that  he  is  not  to  be  slain,  a.>  there  is  not 
the  remotest  chance  for  me  to  get  a  piece  of  his 
delicious  carcass.  Teams  now  frequently  pass  us 
upon  the  table  lands;  knowing  the  hour  that 
the  stage  is  expected,  take  this  precaution  in 
order  to  avoid  the  above  mentioned  scene.  It  -s 
a  wonder  to  me  that  there  are  not  laws  enacted 
compelling  every  teamster  to  put  bells  upon  his 
horses  or  mules  while  driving  over  these  fearful 
mountain  roads.  The  turn-outs  seen  in  this 
remote  region  are  so  covered  with  dust  that  it  is 
quite  impossible  to  distinguish  color.  They 
prove  to  be  mostly  of  the  semi-civilized  race, 
who  emigrate  from  Missouri  and  Texas,  wear 
the  tan-colored  unmentionables,  and  in  many 
instances  pride  themselves  upon  their  virtue, 
being  too  ignorant  to  sin.  These  people  are  in 
just  the  right  stage  of  barbarism  to  accept  the 
.lie  religion,  and  are  surely  better  prepared 


48  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

for  a  patriarchial  or  monorchia]  form  of  govern- 
ment than  to  make  laws  for  themselves  in  a 
republic.  The  Southern  and  Southwestern  States 
are  going  over  to  the  Catholic  church  in  a  body, 
with  the  understanding  that  Catholicism  will 
some  day  overthrow  this  government.  To  the 
thinker  this  does  not  seem  like  very  effective 
policy,  inasmuch  as  the  Protestant  educates  the 
brain  of  the  masses,  while  Catholicism  keeps  the 
masses  uneducated  as  far  as  in  them  lies,  conse- 
quently the  Protestant  stands  the  chance  of 
ruling  over  the  Catholic  even  at  a  disadvantage 
in  numbers.  How  queer  it  would  seem  to  think 
of  the  French,  Italians,  Spanish,  or  Irish,  as 
riders  over  England,  Scotland,  Germany,  or  any 
of  the  Protestant  races.  Just  here  I  will  say 
that  no  race  of  people  where  the  masses  live  on 
such  food  as  "hog  and  hominy,"  can  ever  com- 
pete with  those  who  have  more  range  in  diet. 
From  what  I  am  able  to  observe,  I  should  think 
that  a  limited  monotonous  diet  would  cramp  the 
calibre.  Even  the  fairly  educated  among  these 
people  do  not  seem  to  possess  the  power  of 
reasoning  to  any  great  extent,  but  are  controlled 


bartlett's  springs.  49 

by  prejudices  that  would  hardly  be  excusable  in 
barbarians.  Nations,  let  them  be  republican,  or 
what  they  may,  are  culpable  for  the  ignorance 
of  their  people,  and  must  take  their  punishment 
for  such  neglect  in  crime,  disrespect,  prejudice, 
and  rebellion.  How  can  a  man  have  any  respect 
for  the  institutions  of  a  country  where  he  has 
been  permitted  to  grow  up  in  such  groveling 
ignorance  as  to  be  incapable  of  comprehending 
a  single  advantage  of  its  institutions  over  those 
of  others?  If  the  law  of  Christianity  which 
commands  man  to  love  his  neighbor  as  himself, 
had  been  observed  or  carried  out  consistently,  the 
money  sent  to  christianize  the  heathen  in  foreign 
lands,  would  have  been  given  to  the  southern 
portion  of  our  own  country  to  educate  the  "poor 
white  trash."  These  people  have  moved  west- 
ward, ignorant  as  barbarians,  and  more  prolific, 
and  are  raising  up  a  generation  of  vipers  little 
in  advance,  if  any,  of  the  native  Mexican.  The 
border  ruffian,  with  others  of  that  class  of  blood- 
letters,  had  mothers  who  took  the  same  position 
in  the  family  as  the  native  Australian  women  or 
the  wife  of  a  North  American  Indian  does,  living 


50  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

in  the  most  primitive  manner,  performing  the 
drudgery  of  the  household  without  the  advan- 
tages of  civilization.  Those  that  we  meet  are 
mostly  performing  pilgrimages  to  the  springs 
for  the  purpose  of  regaining  lost  health.  The 
shadowy  teams,  rickety  wagons,  loaded  with 
household  plunder,  the  scrawny  women  and 
numerous  progeny,  bring  to  mind  the  childish 
riddle  of  Saint  Ives  —  As  I  was  going  to  Saint 
Ives  I  met  seven  wives;  each  wife  had  seven 
sacks;  each  sack  had  seven  cats;  each  cat  had 
seven  kits — kits,  cats,  sacks  and  wives,  how  many 
were  going  to  Saint  Ives?  I  am  not  prepared  to 
state  whether  the  foregoing  can  be  classed  with 
conundrums,  whether  it  is  an  example  in  mental 
arithmetic,  an  algebraic  problem,  or,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  our  Anglo  Saxon  grandmothers,  if  it  is 
a  riddle;  will  leave  the  reader  to  decide.  The 
road  gets  smoother  as  we  progress,  because  it 
comes  within  the  range  of  more  travel.  The 
mountain  breeze  is  delightfully  cool  and  fragrant 
from  the  perfume  of  vegetation.  One  variety 
of  tree  has  shed  its  leaves  in  a  mass;  they  seem 
to  have  all  fallen  at  once,  and  lie  perfectly  undis- 


bartlett's  springs.  51 

turbed  by  the  passing  zephyr,  enjoying  their 
faded  glory ;  being  exactly  the  color  of  straw.  I 
thought  at  first  sight  that  the  straggling  camper 
had  emptied  the  contents  of  his  primitive  bed 
upon  the  hill-side,  but  upon  closer  observation 
it  proved  to  be  the  leaves  of  a  particular  tree. 
The  spreading  oak  is  just  putting  out  a  new  crop 
of  leaves  while  the  old  ones  are  still  fresh  in 
their  original  beauty,  giving  this  magnificent 
tree,  a  variety  of  shade  from  the  pea-green  to  the 
darkest  color  of  the  oak  leaf.  The  same  tree  in 
this  country  adapts  itself  to  the  climate,  per- 
forming the  office  of  regeneration  in  an  entire 
different  manner  from  what  it  does  in  a  northern 
latitude.  The  team  labors  slowly  up  the  moun- 
tain, descending  with  more  rapidity,  hence  mak- 
ing about  the  same  number  of  miles  in  the  same 
length  of  time  as  they  would  providing  they 
were  upon  the  level.  As  we  approach  the  plains 
of  Colusa  county  a  hot  breeze  occasionally  passes 
over  us.  Some  of  our  party  venture  the  opinion 
that  this  simoon  is  manufactured  upon  a  barren 
spur  of  the  coast  range  lying  between  us  and  the 
great  plains.      These  hills   do   appear  perfectly 


52  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

terrible  with  their  bare  brown  sides  under  a 
scorching  July  sun.  "We  are  informed  that  this 
heated  breath  comes  from  the  plains  beyond; 
that  it  is  not  the  province  of  mountains  to  manu- 
facture hot  winds,  as  their  very  altitude  makes 
that  an  impossibility.  At  the  foot-hills  large 
flocks  of  sheep  are  to  be  seen  huddling  together 
beneath  the  scanty  shade  of  the  now  scattering 
trees.  Poor  things,  how  they  must  suffer  from 
the  heat  of  the  scorching  sun.  The  winds  may 
be  tempered  to  the  shorn  lamb,  but  the  burning 
rays  of  old  Sol  never.  The  shepherds  who  attend 
these  flocks  are  themselves  a  peculiar  "  institu- 
tion," for  a  general  thing  showing  less  sense  in 
their  domestic  concerns  than  that  manifested  by 
the  field  mouse.  The  people  are  not  the  owners 
of  the  flocks,  only  hired  to  do  the  work  of  taking 
care  of  the  sheep  that  cannot  be  well  entrusted 
to  a  dog.  Their  huts  are  built  between  the  hills, 
upon  the  hot  sand,  without  the  grateful  shade 
of  a  single  twig.  Of  course  these  houses  are 
only  inhabited  during  the  night,  or  sleeping 
hours,  so  that  it  does  not  make  so  much  differ- 
ence.    It  is  likely  if  there  is  a  shade  tree  any- 


bartlett's  springs.  53 

where  near  the  shepherd  will  have  the  benefit  of 
it.  I  have  learned  that  it  will  not  do  to  draw 
comparisons  rashly,  or  to  put  too  severe  a  sen- 
tence upon  the  modes  of  life  adopted  by  those 
occupying  widely  different  places  in  the  plan 
of  the  universe.  If  a  good  housewife  were 
at  this  moment  to  sit  in  judgment,  or  pass  sen- 
tence upon  the  appearance  of  my  room  and 
wardrobe,  it  would  take  a  great  deal  of  explana- 
tion to  correct  the  prejudices  that  might  arise  in 
the  mind  of  a  well  regulated  person  wljo  had 
never  drawn  upon  her  innocent  imagination 
for  the  result  of  four  years  steady  travel  upon 
one's  wardrobe  and  methodism  in  general.  To 
one  not  acquainted  with  the  peculiarities  of  this 
dry  climate,  it  does  not  seem  possible  for  sheep 
or  goats  to  exist  upon  these  apparently  verdure- 
less  hills;  still  we  are  informed  that  this  is  excel- 
lent pasturage.  Hence  the  presence  of  these 
numerous  flocks  which  are  often  driven  miles  to 
.reach  food  when  they  have  exhausted  any  par- 
ticular locality.  In  this  seasonless  climate  the 
curing  process  is  complete,  the  moisture  of  the 
winter  rains  being  sufficient  for  a  perfect  growth 


54  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

of  vegetation.  The  grasses  stand  upon  the 
ground  perfectly  ripe  and  dry,  containing  all 
their  original  juices,  having  had  no  rains  or 
dews  to  bleach  them  of  their  virtues. 

We  now. reach  Colusa  county  plains.  This 
area  of  land,  fifty  miles  wide  and  two  hundred 
miles  long,  is  a  dead  level,  and  has  the  appear- 
ance of  having  been  the  bed  of  a  lake  or  sea. 
This  vast  plain  is  converted  almost  entirely  into 
wheat  farms.  Thousands  of  acres  of  bright  stub 
ble  starids  bristling  in  the  glowing  sun,  for  the 
wheat  is  all  cut  by  the  tenth  of  July.  The 
numerous  stacks  seen  in  the  distance  suggest  the 
idea  of  many  villages  composed  of  thatched 
buildings,  and  the  mirage  comes  to  make  the 
illusion  more  complete,  and  many  of  the  stacks 
are  represented  double,  standing  bottom  upwards, 
or  rather  hanging  top  downwards.  It  is  very 
strange  how  a  little  patch  of  sandy  land,  with  a 
few  weeds  growing  near,  will  look,  with  the 
help  of  mirage,  exactly  like  a  lake  of  water,  with, 
trees  growing  upon  the  margin,  and  one  can  see 
the  shadows  as  plain  as  anything.  Colusa  county 
may  well  be  called  "  the  old  bachelor's  paradise." 


bartlett's  springs.  55 

The  dingy  little  cribs  in  which  they  live,  without 
shade   of  tree,  or   other   comfort,    where    there 
should  be  spacious  farm  houses,  show  clearly  the 
absence   of   the   refining    influence   of    woman. 
And   the   fact  that  these  farmers   may  be  fre- 
quently seen  studying  navigation  at  the  neigh- 
boring tap  rooms  is  another  evidence  of  a  want 
of  the  vigilance  of  woman,   who,  if   she  were 
here,  could  local-optionize  the  place  and  protect 
man,  as  he  will   not  protect  himself,  from  his 
manifold    infirmities.      Occasionally  a  sluggish 
stream    finds   its   way    across    this    level    plain- 
Little  birds,  that  appear  to  be  lost,  sit  panting 
with  uplifted  wing,  apparently  without  life  to 
fly  and    seek  a  shade  in   the  woods  which    are 
miles  away.     "When  we  are  so  far  at  laud  upon 
this  plain  as  to  be  out  of  sight  of  every  thing 
except  stacks  and  stubble,  a  scene  presents  itself 
as  startling  as  it  is  novel.     The  road  ran  by  a 
sink-hole,    or    a   tunnel    in    the  ground,    abo^t 
twenty  feet  across.     This  curious  well  -was  filled 
with  muddy -looking  water.     Upon  approaching 
it,  ten  or  a  dozen  human  heads  are  seen  bobbing 
up  and  down  upon  its  surface,  in  motion  as  if 


56  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

trying  to  dodge  a  missile.  As  one  wonders  in 
attending  a  meeting  in  the  country  where  all  the 
people  can  come  from,  so  I  exclaimed,  "Where 
on  earth,  or  upon  this  plain,  did  those  men  come 
from?"  The  farm  houses  are  so  small  as  to  have 
escaped  our  memory,  if  they  did  not  escape  our 
vision.  Our  informant,  the  man  ahead,  says 
that  these  are  farm  hands  who  come  here  to 
bathe,  as  those  little  cribs  of  houses  do  not  afford 
very  extensive  accommodations  for  its  tenants; 
that  every  one  of  those  smiling  faces  have  a  live 
body  buried  in  the  depths  of  this  isolated  well. 
This  was  indeed  a  rare  sight  —  an  oasis  in  the 
desert  of  stubble,  without  a  tree  or  shrub  to 
mark  its  whereabouts.  There  are  tracts  of  alka- 
line lands  upon  this  plain,  that  are  useless 
for  farming,  and  because  of  the  long  dry  season, 
the  dust  becomes  so  dense  upon  the  roads  that 
the  houses  are  built  mostly  as  long  way  as  possi- 
ble from  the  main  road  and  reached  by  lanes. 
This,  and  the  houses  being  so  small,  gives  the 
country  the  appearance  of  being  under  cultiva- 
tion without  the  corresponding  improvements. 
Another  drawback  to  the  country  is  the  fact  that 


bartlett's  springs.  57 

the  land  is  owned  in  very  large  tracts,  being 
worked  by  tenants,  men  who  have  no  families, 
and  consequently  not  permanent,  while  the  real 
owner,  like  the  sheep  owner,  is  living  with  his 
family  comfortably  in  some  town  or  village, 
perhaps  city.  All  countries  develop  peculiar 
features  to  themselves  because  of  the  difference 
of  the  soil  and  climate.  The  real  farm  work  can 
be  performed  in  this  locality  by  an  irresponsible 
set  of  white  Arabs  because  the  climate  is  such 
that  they  can  sleep  out  doors  better  than  in  the 
house,  and  they  can  mess  together  with  a  China- 
man for  cook,  and  fare  sumptuously  with  very 
little  house  room.  The  fences  that  were  built 
before  the  uno  fence  bill"  became  a  law,  are 
mostly  standing.  There  are  in  some  localities 
wheat  that  would  not  pay  for  cutting;  this 
makes  excellent  pasturage,  and  the  fences  are 
convenient  for  this  purpose.  Still,  much  of  the 
farming  is  done  "  out  of  doors,"  or  without  being 
inclosed.  Although  the  heat  of  the  sun  upon 
this  vast  level  wrould  seem  to  be  almost  unbear- 
able, a  cool  breeze  is  constantly  coming  in  con- 
tact with  the  breath  of  this  great  plain.     This 


58 


OVER    THE    PUKPLE    HILLS. 


breeze  is  manufactured  upon  the  Buttes,  a  short 
spur  rising  out  of  the  plains  upon  the  other  side 
of  the  Sacramento  river.  Wherever  these  hills 
lift  their  towering  heads  they  gather  a  cooling 
breath  to  be  sent  on  the  'wings  of  the  wind  to 
bless  the  heated  plain  lying  below.  The  horizon 
is  very  brazen  and  the  few  white  clouds  which 
have  strayed  from  their  normal  latitude  seem  to 
stand  perfectly  still,  in  motionless  astonishment 
at  the  dried  appearance  of  the  thirsty  landscape. 
July. 


STOCKTON. 


STOCKTON  is  situated  in  San  Joaquin 
County,  on  San  Joaquin  River;  is  a  town 
of  about  thirteen  thousand  inhabitants;  it  now 
ranks  third  in  the  State,  and  bids  fair  to  give 
race  to  Sacramento  for  the  second,  both  in 
point  of  population  and  commercial  interest. 
Stockton  is  now  one  of  the  largest  wheat  mar- 
kets in  the  world,  being  surrounded  by  produc- 
tive wheat  growing  valleys;  vast  quantities  of 
this  commodity  are  stored  in  the  city,  waiting 
for  shipment  or  an  advance  of  prices;  it  is  con- 
veyed to  San  Francisco,  from  thence  it  goes 
forth  to  all  the  civilized  nations  of  the  earth,  to 
supply  the  demand  for  California's  superior 
bread  stuffs.  It  would  seem  to  be  policy  for  the 
Californians  to  take  advantage  of  their  remark- 
(59) 


60  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

ably  early  harvest  season,  aud  get  their  wheat  to 
market  before  other  grain  growing  countries 
came  in  for  competition;  thus  save  the  trouble 
and  expense  of  storage,  with  its  multiplicity  of 
risk,  besides  having  the  use  of  the  money.  In 
climate  Stockton  is  much  like  Sacramento,  damp 
and  malarious  winters,  and  pretty  hot  summers; 
although  neither  place  is  considered  really  un- 
healthy, this  is  the  tendency  if  disease  lingers  in 
the  system  at  all.  Persons  troubled  with  what 
is  know  as  billiousness  will  seldom  prove  better 
in  health  from  either  of  these  localities.  My 
comparisons  between  Stockton  and  Sacramento 
reminds  me  of  the  story  of  the  man  with  three 
sons,  who  had  only  three  pieces  of  property  to 
divide  between  them:  "The  eldest  son  he  gave 
the  mill,  the  second  son  an  ass,  the  youngest 
son,  poor  little  Mat,  must  be  contented  with  the 
cat."  San  Francisco  gets  the  railroad  mills  and 
the  supreme  court  mill,  while  poor  Sacramento 
must  with  the  State  house  be  contented-o. 
This  reminds  me  of  another  silly  little  story  of 
the  bees  who  made  a  contract  with  the  humming 
bird  to  find  them  with  honey.     They  gave  their 


STOCKTON.  61 

legs,  their  wings,  and  pollen  basket,  and  when 
they  nothing  more  to  give  the  humming  bird 
flew  away  and  left  the  bees  to  starve.  This  is 
the  way  that  Sacramento  has  been  treated  by  the 
Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company.  Stockton  has 
the  county  seat,  it  has  also  the  asylum  for  the 
insane,  being  the  second  son  mentioned  in  the 
old  man's  legacy.  There  are  two  large  found- 
ries, three  tanneries  and  one  woolen  mill.  The 
blankets  manufactured  at  this  mill  are  not  sur- 
passed in  the  State.  A  paper  mill  is  also  in 
•active  operation,  where  a  superior  quality  of 
heavy  wrapping  paper  is  manufactured  from  tule 
hay;  and  they  are  now  experimenting,  with  a 
prospect  of  making  a  tine  quality  of  printing 
paper  of  the  same  material.  There  are  three 
dailies  published  here,  one  being  edited  by  a 
woman,  and  I  will  say  that  the  gentlemen  show 
themselves  not  only  gallant  in  their  liberal  pat- 
ronage, but  prove  by  their  conversation  and 
deportment  to  be  proud  of  this  living  evidence 
of  strongmindedness.  Stockton  is  also  a  city  of 
magnificent  distances,  it  seems  to  spread  all  over 
San  Joaquin  county;   this  may  be  a  slight  ex- 


C2  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

aggeration.  The  difficulty  is  partially  overcome 
by  a  one-horse  railroad,  which  appears  as  endless 
as  an  unwound  skein  of  yarn.  The  steel,  as  the 
English  say,  stretches  I  cannot  imagine  how  far 
over  the  endless  plain.  In  a  desperate  attempt 
to  see  the  end  of  this  road,  I  backed  out  of  the 
neat  little  car  long  before  the  end  was  reached 
or  visible,  for  fear  that  I  should  not  be  able, 
for  some  hours,  to  find  my  lodgings  again. 
This  city  has  its  share  of  Christian  churchs, 
nearly  all  denominations  being  represented  ; 
forming  nurseries  for  the  growth  of  individual 
opinions,  and  the  development  of  individual 
character,  thereby  preventing  any  class  from 
tyrany  by  too  great  concentration  of  power.  The 
church  buildings  are  fine  gray  edifices,  and  only 
need  a  little  ivy  to  cover  their  dusty  walls  to 
give  them  a  cool  and  really  attractive  appearance. 
The  church  bells  are  remarkably  sweet  and 
musical.  For  the  last  five  years  I  have  scarcely 
heard  the  same  church  bells  for  three  consecutive 
Sabbaths,  consequently  have  formed  the  habit  of 
giving  thought  to  the  music  of  the  bells  as  one 
forms  an  opinion  upon  the  tones  of  the  different 


STOCKTON.  63 

pianos  we  hear.  Saloons  flourish  in  this  city  as 
they  do  in  every  town  and  village  of  this  beauti- 
ful State.  The  handsome  proprietor  and  dash- 
ing gambler  walk  side  by  side,  both  excellent 
specimens  of  humanity,  judging  by  outward 
appearances;  and,  indeed,  they  seem  to  possess 
hearts  and  brains  like  other  men,  but  have  likely 
been  demoralized  by  their  mothers  or  some  other 
woman;  of  course  the  blame  must  be  placed 
upon  the  shoulders  of  some  poor  defenseless 
female,  whom  it  seems  as  if  providence,  in  its 
wisdom  and  mercy,  had  made  as  a  kind  of  pack 
horse  for  the  sins  of  frail  unfortunate  man.  Then 
there  is  the  blear-eyed  whisky  bibber,  who,  with 
strong  drink,  has  literally  cooked  the  albumen 
forming  the  brain,  until  he  might  as  well  be  in 
possession  of  a  leather  brain  for  all  the  use  it  is 
to  him.  AVretched  human  creatures,  in  many 
instances  as  offensive  as  a  mangy  dog,  and  with 
less  capacity  for  self  preservation.  No  wonder 
the  women  of  the  nation  have  been  led  to  cry 
aloud  in  anguish  of  spirit  to  our  Father  in 
heaven,  that  he  may  care  for  their  sons  and  keep 
them   from    the  curse  of  intemperance.     I  am 


64:  OVER    THE    PURPLE    ITTLLS. 

sure  if  men  felt  as  much  ashamed  of  this  mons- 
trous curse  as  women  do,  that  petitions  would  be 
placed  in  all  the  prayer  books,  to  read  as  follows: 
Lead  us  not  into  the  temptation  of  strong  -drink. 
Deliver  us  from  whisky  and  it  baneful  results. 
K^ep  us  from  the  temptation  of  treating  and 
being  treated;  from  the  society  of  the  dissolute, 
and  from  the  evils  consequent  upon  losing  ones 
self  respect.  Spare  us  the  ill  will  of  those  who 
should  bless  our  memory.  Finally,  save  us  from 
the  shame  and  grave  of  a  drunkard.  Amen. 
September. 

the  state  insane,  and  the  asylum. 

The  asylum  for  the  insane  is  situated  about 
half  a  mile  from  the  city  of  Stockton,  and  is  a 
very  attractive  looking  retreat,  being  surrounded 
by  beautifully  cultivated  grounds.  White  fences 
running  away  through  the  dense  shade  give  it  the 
appearance  of  a  grand  old  park.  There  are  two 
separate  buildings  upon  the  grounds,  one  for  the 
male,  the  other  for  the  female  department;  they 
are  located  somt  distance  apart;  both  are  built  of 


STOCKTON.  65 

red  brick.  The  male  department  has  been  stand- 
ing twenty  years  or  mure.  The  walls  are  cov- 
ered with  green  ivy  and  creeping  vines,  forming 
a  fine  contrast  of  colors  with  the  red  brick.  The 
walks  are  also  of  red  square  brick,  the  color 
heightened  by  frequent  washings,  for  they  are 
kept  scrupulously  neat.  The  shade  of  the  trout 
yard  is  so  dense,  that,  upon  entering  from  the 
warm,  sunny  street,  one  is  liable  to  take  a  chill, 
a>  tr<  >m  the  air  of  a  subterraneous  cavern.  Every 
thing  about  the  interior  of  the  building  appeared 
cleanly  and  wholesome.  Many  ot  the  inmates, 
in  the  habit  of  living  at  the  wretched  hotels  in 
this  State,  have  made  a  change  for  the  better. 
I  learned  from  the  superintending  physician 
that  the  insane  are  not  so  much  more  numerous 
in  this  State  than  in  others  as  has  generally 
been  understood.  This  institution  takes  the 
place  of  a  State  almshouse  to  a  certain  extent, 
there  being  no  poor  houses  except  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. In  this  way  each  county  places  its  poor 
at  the  expense  of  the  State  unless  they  are  sick; 
in  that  case  the  county  hospital  is  provided  for 
them.  There  are  many  at  the  insane  asylum 
.5 


66  OVER    THE    PURPLE    !IIU,S. 

who  are  only  feeble  minded,  and  some  idiots 
who  cannot  be  cared  for  at  home  are  brought 
here;  many  of  these  in  other  States  would  be 
taken  to  the  county  house.  Thus,  the  number 
reported  insane  in  this  State  greatly  exceeds  that 
of  others  of  the  same  population.  The  mountain- 
eers or  early  miners  of  this  country,  who  have  never 
made  homes  for  themselves,  as  age  creeps  on  and 
they  get  unable  to  work,  must  be  cared  for  by 
the  State.  This  is  one  particularly  sad  feature 
of  the  settlement  of  this  country.  Men  who  left 
their  homes  in  the  East  more  than  twenty  years 
ago,  many  middle  aged  at  the  time,  nearly  all 
with  the  hope  of  bettering  themselves  pecuni- 
arily, and  of  returning  or  of  sending  for  their 
loved  ones  when  able.  Some  have  found  the 
years  rolling  on  and  only  bringing  disappoint- 
ment, until  their  children  in  distant  lands  have 
grown  to  man's  and  woman's  estate,  with  scarcely 
an  idea  of  the  existence  of  a  father,  and  with  no 
appreciation  of  his  love  or  struggles  for  them. 
Many  have  heartlessly  deserted  their  little  ones 
and  left  them  to  the  fates,  or  to  be  brought  uj. 
by  the  wretched  mother,  with  all   the  disadvan 


STOCKTON.  t>7 

tages  under  which  women  labor,  physically,  so- 
cially and  politically. 

There  is  nothing  that  will  sadden  and  harden 
the  young  heart  more  than  the  realization  of 
being  deserted,  in  helpless  infancy  or  inexperi- 
enced youth,  by  those  who  should  have  been  its 
protectors.  It  is  bad  enough  for  grown  people 
to  live  in  the  world  unloved  and  friendless,  but 
what  a  sorrow  to  the  heart  of  the  unsophisticated 
child!  Verily,  these  men  have  their  reward! 
Being  deprived  of  the  society  of  one's  children 
while  they  are  young  is  a  loss  which  n©  human 
heart  can  twell  afford ;  and  the  older  one  gets  the 
more  dependent  they  are  upon  the  young  for 
entertainment  and  society,  aside  from  the  com- 
mon dependencies  of  a  physical  nature.  The 
society  of  4'  Old  Pioneers  "  is  an  association  that 
will  benefit  some,  but  many  are  too  far  gone  to 
seek  protection  from  organized  charity,  and  must 
end  their  days  in  public  institutions.  There  is 
something  in  this  apparently  indulgent  climate 
that  seems  to  make  men  reckless.  They  can  live 
so  close  to  nature  without  being  persecuted  by 
Jack   Frost,   that  if  they   once   get   a   sniff  of 


68   .  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

mountain  air  or  a  taste  of  wild  life,  a  certain  per 
cent,  will  turn  barbarians  in  spite  of  all  former 
ties.  I  have  seen  them  when  they  had  lost 
nearly  all  resemblance  to  a  civilized  human 
being,  and  appeared  more  like  an  old  mangy 
dog  than  like  a  man.  I  am  inclined  to  think 
man  more  dependent  upon  woman  for  manhood 
and  general  usefulness  than  women  upon  men, 
notwithstanding  my  education  to  the  contrary. 

Old  women  will  generally  keep  themselves 
tidy  and  clean,  and  old  maids  are  proverbial  for 
their  neatness.  The  men  about  the  insane  asy- 
lum look  cleanly  and  appear  contented;  all  ages 
are  represented.  In  the  male  department  I  saw  a 
toddling  infant  about  a  year  old;  I  do  not  think 
it  was  a  crazy  baby,  although  it  was  an  inmate 
of  the  institution.  The  female  department  is  a 
fine  large  structure,  the  grounds  and  improve- 
ments comparitively  new,  but  very  promising. 
I  approached  an  elderly  gentlemen  who  was 
watering  the  garden,  and  remarked  that  "  I 
hoped,  in  time,  to  see  the  grounds  about  the 
female  department  looking  as  well  as  they  did 
about   the  male  department.     That  we  women 


STOCKTOM.  69 

were  growing  very  watchful  and  fearfully  jeal- 
ous." "  Be  jabers,"  said  he,  "  women  have  no 
more  rights  nor  men.  I  likes  to  see  women 
keep  in  their  proper  places;  I  don't  go  a  cint  on 
these  strong  minded  women;  not  a  cint."  Said 
I  to  him,  "  I  am  a  strong  minded  woman  and 
you  have  got  to  stand  it;  I  do  not  care  a  cent  for 
weak  minded  men  who  presume  to  venture  an 
opinion  upon  a  subject  which  they  cannot  possi- 
bly comprehend;  and  I  am  going  to  run  for 
Congress,  and  you  will  have  to  stand  that  also." 
At  this  unexpected  disclosure,  an  indulgent 
smile  of  admiration  lighted  up  the  countenance 
of  the  Hibernian.  He  had  met  with  such 
prompt  and  spirited  opposition  that  it  struck 
him  as  being  very  ridiculous  that  he  should  be 
sparring  with  a  lady  visitor,  and  also  an  aspirant 
for  Congress,  and  in  spite  of  his  severity  he 
wished  me  success,  and  hallooed  out  as  I  was 
disappearing,  ;-  G-ood  luck  to  you,  miss,  bejabers, 
good  luck  to  you."  This  was  without  doubt 
satire,  but  what  of  the  braying  of  a  donkey, 
whether  he  pays  his  compliments  or  calls  for  his 
oats,  it  sounds  the  same  and  is  void  of  reason  or 


70  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS 

articulation.  There  is  scarcely  a  day  of  my  life 
that  I  am  not  reminded  of  the  growth  of  arro- 
gance, fostered  by  an  atmosphere  of  political 
and  consequent  social  injustice.  The  masculine 
barbarian  is  at  liberty  to  fling  the  unmeaning 
cant  of  social  prejudice  in  the  face  of  the  most 
intelligent  person  in  the  land,  if  that  person 
should  chance  to  be  a  woman.  If  men  could 
reason  with  sufficient  clearness  to  understand 
that  these  expressions  arise  from  overrating' 
brute  force,  and  underrating  other  and  more 
important  virtues,  they  would  get  ashamed  to 
give  utterance  to  such  shallow  and  proverbial 
canting  nonsense.  Why  should  man  set  him- 
self up  as  a  dictator  over  his  betters  when  he 
has  nothing  more  to  recommend  him  than  sex, 
or  the  fact  that  he  is  a.  male  biped?  Suppose 
some  illiterate  old  washerwoman  should  ad- 
vise Henry  Ward  Beecher,  or  any  priest  or 
minister,  as  to  his  place  in  society,  and  his 
duties  in  that  particular  sphere.  How  ridiculous 
it  would  seem.  There  is  not  a  demented  old 
scrub  of  a  woman  in  America  but  that  would 
exercise  better  sense. 


STOCKTON.  71 

There  is  nothing  that  will  make  a  class  of 
people  appear  more  idiotic  than  to  have  more 
power  than  they  are  justly  entitled  to,  and  be 
permitted  tu  manufacture  their  own  reasons 
without  tear  of  contridiction  or  criticism.  I 
have  learned,  by  the  observation  of  years,  that 
few  men  possess  the  capacity  to  reason;  being 
controlled  almost  entirely  by  their  instincts,  and 
many  times  those  sunk  lower  than  the  brute  by 
every  conceivable  selfish  abuse.  A  woman's 
intuition  will  tell  her  the  difference  between  a 
cultivated  man  and  a  boor,  while  the  ignorant 
man  measures  all  women  in  one  half-bushel,  as 
a  donkey  would  his  turnips.  A  donkey  would 
not  have  the  least  idea  that  turnips  could  grow 
for  any  other  purpose  than  to  fill  his  individual 
half-bushel,  or  that  of  some  other  donkey's. 

As  I  approached  the  apartment  for  women,  I 
could  hear  a  pleasant  hum  of  little  noises  pro- 
ceeding from  the  grated  windows,  like  the  sound 
of  numerous  birds  in  a  cage.  Woman  will  talk 
even  when  sick.  This  is  partly  owing  to  the 
fact  of  her  having  no  real  business  life  or  busi- 
ness education,  as  men  have.     It  may  be  partly 


72  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

constitutional,  but  I  do  not  believe  it.  When 
men  go  out  into  the  world  to  do  for  themselves, 
they  learn  silence  from  many  necessities,  for  fear 
of  giving  offense  by  expressing  themselves  too 
freely,  and  because  business  cannot  be  transacted 
and  the  mind  distracted  at  the  same  time  with 
conversation.  Where  women  are  educated  to 
business  habits  or  literature,  they  despise  as 
thoroughly  small  talk,  shallow  twaddle,  and 
vulgar  inquisitiveness  as  a  corresponding  class 
of  men  do.  The  only  objectionable  feature  that  I 
observed  about  this  institution  was  the  cemetery 
unpleasantly  near  the  female  department,  in  sight 
of  many  of  its  windows.  This  was  located 
before  the  female  department  was  planned ;  has 
fifteen  hundred  interred  therein,  and  is  too  near 
for  such  unpleasant  associations.  I  suppose  in 
due  course  of  agitation  cremation  will  become 
fashionable,  and  then  this  place  will  be  summer 
fallowed  and  sowed  to  barley,  and  the  barley  sold 
to  the  distillers  to  be  used,  as  food  for  city  cows, 
in  order  to  increase  the  rates  of  infant  mortality 
and  to  propagate  insanity.  Alas  for  Dio  Lewis 
and    all    his    plans!     This   little  comparison   is 


STOCKTON.  73 

much  like  the  way  society  is  tinkered  up.  All 
well  enough,  ail  well  meaning;  but  while  we  are 
watching  the  enemy  upon  one  side  of  life's 
enclosure,  he  creeps  stealthily  upon  us  from 
some  other  point.  The  human  family  seem  like 
a  vast  growth  of  vegetation,  so  many  doomed  to 
die  early,  some  to  be  blighted  but  still  cling  to 
life,  some  to  be  crushed  beneath  unscrupulous 
feet  never  to  rise  again,  and  all  eventually  return 
to  the  common  mother  earth,  and  there  be  re- 
solved into  the  primitive  elements.  Death  must 
be  as  much  a  blessing  as  any  part  of  the  won- 
drous plan,  and  the  fear  or  dread  of  it  only  a 
protecting  instinct. 

As  I  passed  around  the  institution,  an  elderly 
woman  called  from  an  upper  window:  "Good 
morning,  lady."  I  returned  the  salutation,  and 
would  have  been  pleased  to  have  held  a  confab 
with  her,  but  reflected  that  this  would  be  violat- 
ing a  rule  of  the  institution,  and  walked  away 
with  a  feeling  that  the  unfortunate  are  fortunate 
in  some  respects,  by  having  a  place  of  retirement 
where  they  may  recover  and  go  out  to  some  use- 
fulness and  happiness,  or  remain  and  wear  out 
shattered  nature  until  she  sinks  to  eternal  rest. 


NAPA. 


NAPA,  the  county  seat  of  Napa  county,  is 
delightfully  situated — far  enough  from  the 
sea  to  escape  the  chilling  ocean  winds,  and  of 
sufficient  altitude  to  have  a  tine,  clear,  bracing 
atmosphere.  There  are  heavy  dews  at  all  seasons 
of  the  year,  and  persons  seldom  take  cold  in  its 
healthful  climate,  but  going  into  San  Francisco 
will  give  almost  any  outside  resident  a  cold  in 
the  head,  or  upon  the  lungs.  There  is  something 
in  the  humid  air  of  the  city  that  will  cause  most 
persons  to  do  some  vigorous  sneezing  before 
they  learn  to  watch  the  necessities  of  the  body. 
Napa  has  about  three  thousand  inhabitants.  Its 
surroundings  are  hilly  and  beautiful  as  a  wall 
hung  with  tine  paintings  of  landscape  scenery. 
In  a  ravine  where  the  public  reservoir  is  located 
(74) 


NArA.  75 

are  masses  of  rock  standing  like  a  grand  old 
castle  in  dignified  decay,  as  if  gazing  with  silent 
contempt  upon  the  more  perishable  portions  of 
the  mighty  structure.  A  family  of  Scotch  peo- 
ple living  near,  with  their  flocks  and  herds,  have 
christened  these  towering  peaks  "Scott's  Craig." 
and  say  that  it  resembles  Sterling  Castle  in 
Scotland.  The  waters  of  this  ravine  are  impris- 
oned in  a  reservoir  and  watched  by  these  har- 
dened old  sentinels,  which  stand  guard  in  such 
an  attitude  that  it  would  not  be  surprising  if 
one  craig  should  lose  its  balance  and  tumble 
over  to  the  entire  destruction  of  every  perishable 
thing  upon  its  downward  course.  There  is  much 
grape-growing  and  wine-making  in  this  valley, 
as  well  as  other  industrial  enterprise:-.  I  visited 
WordanVs  wine-making  establishment,  and  found 
at  work  about  fifteen  foreigners  of  various  nation- 
alities engaged  in  making  wine.  T  interrogated 
one  of  them  as  to  the  probability  of  his  tiring 
of  the  sameness  of  his  occupation.  He  answered 
in  broken  English  that  he  was  "  born  m  wine," 
and  knew  nothing  else.  A  portion  of  this  state- 
ment I  had  no  reason  to  doubt.     In  this  cellar 


76  OVER    THE    PURPLE    BILLS. 

tliere  is  about  fifty  thousand  gallons  of  wine,  the 
most  aged  being  five  years  old.  Napa  has  two' 
tanneries  in  working  order.  B.  F.  Sawyer  &  Co. 
work  in  about  three  hundred  sheepskins  in  a 
day  and  one  hundred  deerskins.  This  is  made 
into  glove  leather,  leather  for  linings,  etc.  The 
wool  from  this  tannery  forms  quite  a  feature  in 
the  business;  it  is  pulled,  washed,  dried  and 
sold  in  the  Boston  market  for  forty  cents  per 
pound.  Wheat  is  extensively  raised  in  this 
county,  as  well  as  everything  else  needed  for  the 
comfort  and  sustenance  of  man  and  beast  in  a 
semi-tropical  climate.  I  was  much  interested  in 
seeing  a  boat  loaded  with  this  commodity  from 
a  warehouse.  These  boats  run  up  a  river  known 
as  Napa  creek,  which  empties  into  San  Pueblo 
Bay.  All  these  rivers  and  streams  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  ocean  are  affected  by  the  ocean  tides,  the 
Avaters  usually  being  very  brakish  from  the  close 
proximity  to  the  sea,  and  shallow  when  tide  is 
low  or  out,  and  high  enough  for  simple  naviga- 
tion when  tide  is  in.  While  one  of  these  little 
crafts  was  being  loaded,  a  dear  old  mother  cat  and 
two  half-grown  kittens  were  lending  their  assist- 


NAPA.  77 

ance.  The  removal  of  a  bag  was  watched  with 
the  greatest  possible  interest,  and  woe  to  the 
mouse  or  rat  that  was  unhoused  in  the  presence 
of  these  faithful  servants.  1  was  told  that  they 
work  all  day  with  the  men  as  diligently  as  any 
hand  in  the  building. 

A  branch  of  the  insane  asylum  is  located  at 
Napa.  Two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars 
were  appropriated  by  the  State  Legislature  in 
1871.  The  last  session  there  was  another  appro- 
priation of  six  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  dol- 
lars. The  building  is  not  yet  finished  and  more 
money  must  be  voted  before  it  can  be.  It. 
would  seem  for  so  young  a  State  as  California 
that  she  is  going  to  a  vast  amount  of  expense  to 
build  public  institutions  for  future  generations. 
Considering  that  there  is  a  mighty  national  debt 
caused  by  the  calamities  incident  upon  war, 
one  would  think  that  in  all  wisdom  this  State 
would  forego  for  the  present  the  building  of 
expensive  structures  until  the  wealth  of  the 
country  was  more  fully  developed  and  there  was 
a  larger  population  to  stand  the  tax  and  to  share 
the  expenditure.     An  unhealthy  love  of  display 


78  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

has  taken  such  a  hold  upon  the  people  of  this 
county  that  it  is  as  apparent  in  their  public  as 
private  lives.  There  are  many  worthy  institu- 
tions in  San  Francisco  which  are  suffering  for 
want  of  means  while  we  have  a  State  house,  an 
insane  asylum,  and  a  city  hall  that  would  do 
credit  to  the  oldest  and  most  densely  populated 
State  in  the  Union.  Iowa  legislated  for  her 
industrious  population  in  a  very  plain  brick 
building,  which  cost  less  than  many  a  private 
residence;  and  not  until  they  were  clear  of  debt, 
and  had  a  surplus  fund  in  the  treasury,  did  they 
talk  of  a  new  State  house.  Property  in  California 
is  taxed  at  its  real  value,  while  in  the  North- 
western States  it  is  taxed  at  but  one-third  its 
value.  These  large  tracts  of  land  held  by  specu- 
lators, by  some  political  chicanery  escape  taxa- 
ation  almost  entirely.  It  is  an  indisputable  fact 
that  the  mass  of  people  in  this  State  are  much 
poorer  than  in  the  older  or  Western  States. 
There  is  not  the  thrift  among  them,  they  are  too 
heavily  taxed  for  the  amount,  of  wealth  developed, 
and  these  expensive  institutions  sap  the  life  from 
the  living  industries  of  the  country.    The  branch 


NAPA.  79 

insane  asylum  at  Napa  has  an  appropriation  of 
two  hundred  and  eijrlit  acres  of  land.  The  build- 
ing  is  much  larger  than  either  of  the  departments 
at  Stockton.  The  brick  used  in  this  structure  is 
made  upon  the  ground.  There  is  a  patch  of  clay 
upon  a  neighboring  place  of  which  the  brick  is 
made;  and,  strange  to  say,  this  purpose  will 
exhaust  the  material,  and  there  is  no  more  to  be 
found  for  miles  around.  The  brick  cost  nine 
dollars  and  seven  and  a  half  cents  per  thousand. 
The  basement  is  made  of  stone,  a  material  to  be 
found  in  abundance  in  the  foot-hills.  A  tine 
stone  for  ornamental  purposes  is  manufactured 
upon  the  ground ;  Freer's  patent  is  used.  The 
sand  of  which  this  stone  is  composed  is  brought 
from  England,  being  used  by  wheat  vessels  as 
ballast,  as  they  go  hence  heavily  laden  and  return 
comparatively  empty;  and  as  there  is  no  further 
need  of  this  ballast  when  the  vessels  come  into 
port,  they  dispose  of  it  at  a  very  low  figure,  and 
it  is  mixed  with  Portland  cement,  placed  in 
wooden  forms,  and  made  any  desired  shape  or 
size,  as  we  would  mould  butter.  Those  beautiful 
caps  fur  doors,  windows,  and  cornices,  are  made 


80  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

in  this  way,  and  when  dry  are  solid,  to  all  appear- 
ance, as  the  natural  granite  from  the  hills.  The 
asylum  is  built  in  sections  or  wings,  and  will 
have  seven  round  towers  made  lire-proof,  and 
placed  in  certain  angles,  so  that  in  case  of  con- 
flagration the  destroying  element  could  not 
spread  to  the  adjacent  parts  of  the  structure. 
These  towers,  besides  giving  an  air  of  magnifi- 
cence to  the  entire  edifice,  will  be  used  for  ele- 
vators. There  is  a  chapel  for  religious  worship, 
and  an  elegant  billiard  room  adjoining.  This 
structure  is  four  stories  in  height,  is  heated  with 
hot  .air,  and  the  water  coming  from  the  mountain 
reservoir  has  sufficient  head  to  reach  the  upper 
stories  with  surplus  force.  It  is  well  ventilated, 
and  provided  with  screens  for  the  doors  and 
windows,  so  that  insinuating  insects  cannot 
enter.  The  culinary  and  laundry  departments 
are  separate  from  the  building,  connecting  with 
the  main  part  by  an  underground  railroad  or 
tunnel:  The  only  thing  about  the  plan  of  this 
institution  that  I  did  not  indorse  was  the  fact 
that   the   cemetery   is   located    upon    the    same 


NAPA.  81 

ground  and  inconveniently  near.  This  is  a  fear- 
ful oversight  which  the  committee  should  rectify 
before  too  late,  unless  they  anticipate  the  age  of 
cremation.  The  white  stones  of  a  cemetery 
point  downwards  as  well  as  upwards,  and  persons 
Buffering  physical  and  mental  infirmities  can 
.scarce  afford  to  have  these  ghostly  reminders 
constantly  in  sight. 

Notwithstanding  that  Napa  is  a  beautiful  place 
and  has  so  many  natural  advantages,  the  people 
seem  lacking  in  gentlemen  to  serve  the  county 
as  officials.  The  district  attorney  is  a  most  piti- 
able creature,  who  expressed  himself  as  fearfully 
jealous  of  the  subject  of  woman's  anticipated  citi- 
zenship, and  mentioned  Susan  B.  Anthony  as  "  a 
superannuated  old  hag.''  It  is  evident  by  those 
who  comprehend  the  subject,  that  nothing  but 
power  will  command  respect.  I  am  daily  assured 
by  the  language  of  the  usurper  that  if  women 
remain  quietly  submitting  in  all  things  to  the 
will  of  the  master  that  she  shall  be  respected. 
No  woman  with  any  sense  worth  mentioning, 
desires  to  be  respected  upon  such  conditions;  we 
6 


82 


OVER    THE    J'URPLE    HILLS. 


intend  to  chose  our  own  modes  of  commanding 
respect;  power  will  always  bring  this;  and  while 
man  may  be  venerated  for  being  the  larger 
animal,  woman  should  be  respected  for  the 
balance  of  political  power. 
November. 


LAKE  TAHOE. 

LEAVING  Colfax  by  the  freight  train,  I  find 
myself  once  more  passing  through  the  Cen- 
tral Pacific's  lengthy  snow  sheds.  With  the 
return  of  spring  portions  of  these  structures 
are  removed  in  order  to  prevent  the  spread  of 
lire,  and  the  builders  seem  to  have  made  use  of 
a  variety  of  plans,  as  no  two  tiers  of  shedding 
appear  to  be  constructed  after  the  same.  In 
passing  one  plan  of  construction,  the  sun  comes 
pouring  through  a  thousand  apertures,  striking 
the  train  while  in  motion,  giving  it  the  appear- 
ance of  being  showered  with  golden  sun  balls, 
sparkling  like  falling  rockets.  In  another  plan 
the  sun  strikes  the  train  in  a  rapidly  moving 
checkerboard,  and  the  effect  is  really  quite  won- 
derful and  very  pleasing.  One  must  ride  in  the 
elevated  seat  of  the  caboose  of  the  freight  train 
(83) 


34  OVER   THE   PURPLE    HILLS. 

in  order  to  view  this  novel  feature  of  the  snow 
sheds.  While  the  train  stopped  to  water,  I 
alighted  to  see  a  cinnamon  bear,  tied  in  an 
enclosure  at  the  station.  Upon  the  wall  near  by 
there  hung  a  huge  par^o*  sage  covered  by  a  gun- 
ny sack,  and  upoi.  ehe  sack  was  written  in  large 
letters,  "  This  cage  contains  a  monstrous  Red 
Bat,  of  an  hitherto  unknown  species,  discovered 
and  captured  upon  a  lofty  peak  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  mountains.'"  As  a  matter  of  course  I 
wanted  to  see  the  great  .Red  Bat,  but  did  not  dare 
lift  the  gunny  sack  for  fear  the  creature  might  be 
vicious,  so  I  walked  into  the  office  of  the  hotel 
and  requested  the  polite,  handsome  clerk  to  show 
me  the  Bat.  He  seemed  delighted  to  be  of  the 
least  service  in  a  matter  of  scientific  interest  ; 
his  countenance  fairly  glowed  with  the  pleasure 
of  serving,  as  he  thrust  his  pen  over  his  ear 
and  strutted  out.  I  had  never  seen  a  hotel  clerk 
more  radient,  and  thought  to  myself  if  these 
fellows  only  knew  what  an  adornment  politeness 
is  to  hotel  clerks,  they  would  wear  more  of  it 
and  less  jewelry.  I  was  so  overcome  by  this 
unusual  display  of  suavity,  that  I   had  a  great 


LAKE   TAHOE.  85 

mind  to  order  my  baggage  off  the  train  and  stay 
long  enough  to  study  the  singular  phenomenon 
in  the  person  of  the  clerk.  By  this  time  we  had 
reached  the  cage.  The  gunny  sack  was  carefully 
raised  that  I  might  not  suffer  a  nervous  shock  at 
the  first  sight  of  the  monster.  I  placed  my 
hands  securely  under  my  bustle  and  peeped  cau- 
tiously in,  when  to  my  horror  and  surprise  there 
was  nothing  to  be  seen  but  a  piece  of  red  brick 
with  a  String  tied  around  the  center,  and  it  sus- 
pended in  the  middle  of  the  cage.  The  whistle 
blew  and  I  Lurried  aboard  the  train  without  even 
stopping  to  thank  the  handsome  clerk,  although 
I  managed  to  wave  my  hand  at  him  through  the 
window,  and  to  receive  in  return  the  smiling 
adieus  of  quite  an  audience  of  spectators,  and 
without  doubt  sympathizers,  for  they  had  all 
peeped  under  the  gunny  sack.  But  upon  mature 
reflection,  I  rather  enjoyed  the  joke,  although  it 
was  a  little  wicked. 

Tourists  stop  over  night  at  the  Truckee  Hotel, 
and  the  next  morning  take  the  stage  for  a  ride 
of  fourteen  miles  to  Lake  Tahoe.  This  route 
like  those  at   the  Yosemite,  is  so  finely  shaded 


$6  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HTLLS. 

that  the  drive  is  like  passing  through  an  elegant 
park.  The  sugar  pine  is  missing  here,  it  does 
not  condescend  to  live  only  in  certain  localities. 
The  foliage  of  these  evergreens  stand  so  luxuri- 
ently  against  the  clear  blue  sky,  that  they  appear 
more  like  carved  work,  heavy  mosses,  or  trim- 
ming loaded  with  heavy  green  heads,  than  simple 
foliage.  In  this  altitude,  the  weight  of  the 
winter  snows  bend  the  young  limbs,  giving  them 
the  appearance  of  having  just  divested*  them- 
selves of  this  extra  weight,  leaving  them  with  a 
peculiar  Lapland  grace.  The  edges  of  the  boughs 
are  pushing  out  fresh  leaves,  consequently  the 
limbs  are  fringed  upon  the  extremities  with  a 
light,  shade  of  the  most  delicate  green.  The 
atmosphere  is  perfumed  with  the  medicinal  fra- 
grance of  the  elecampane  and  mountain  sage. 
Occasionally  there  may  be  seen  a  yellow  butter 
cup,  bending  low  to  touch  the  limpid  waters  of 
the  running  rivulet. 

The  stage  driver  upon  this  route  is  an  intelli- 
gent  specimen    of    the    Jehu    fraternity   as    one 
often   meets;  his    name    is  Adams,  a  decendant, 
Out  doubt,  of  old  father  Adam.      Many  were 


LAKE    TAHOE.  87 

the  places  of  interest  he  pointed  out,  and  his 
anecdotes  were  related  with  a  tenderness  of  senti- 
ment that  caused  my  eyes  to  water  occasionally, 
notwithstanding  1  had  my  sun  glasses  along  with 
me.  A  dark,  lonely  ravine,  overshadowed  with 
pines,  was  pointed  out  as  having  a  sad  history 
associated  ^ith  it.  A  man  came  here  and  located 
a  piece  of  land,  built  him  a- hut  and  lived  ii< 
mit  like  isolation.  At  last  his  mean.-  were 
exhausted,  discouragements  came,  and  in  a  fit  of 
insanity  he  committed  suicide.  An  acquaintance 
walked  two  or  three  miles  to  see  him,  owing  to 
his  frame  of  mind  when  last  out,  and  found  him 
lying  upon  the  floor,  with  a  ball  through  his 
head,  and  a  pistol  at  his  side.  The  poor  fellow 
was  not  yet  dead,  and  when  questioned  as  to  who 
did  it,  answered  that  he  did  not  know  who  did. 
His  condition  was  such  that  nothing  more  intel- 
ligible could  be  elicited,  and  as  he  died  shortly 
after,  it  is  supposed  that  he  did  not  know  what 
lie  was  saying.  liis  answer  caused  some  uneasi- 
ness as  to  whether  he  had  not  been  mun 
by  some  other  hand  than  his  own.  A  coroner's 
inquest  was  held  and  the  jury  decided  that  it  was 


88  OVER   THE    PIRPLE    HILLS. 

a  case  of  suicide,  and  the  body  was  taken  to  the 
Hot  Spring  Hotel,  and  from  there  buried  upon 
the  hanks  of  the  beautiful  Tahoe.  Pitying  hands 
have  placed  a  rude  paling  about  the  little  mound, 
and  the  lofty  pines  lower  their  heads  and  sigh 
mournfully  above  it.  The  grave  of  this  poor 
suicide  occupies  a  more  conspicuous  place  than 
did  the  living  man,  and  will  probably  be  the  sub- 
ject of  more  heartfelt  sympathy  and  interest, 
even  from  the  pleasure  seeking  tourist,  than  the 
last  resting  place  of  many  a  celebrated  hero. 

A  few  rods  futher  on  is  another  mound  enc 
with  a  painted  paling.  This  is  the  grave  of  a 
consumptive  who  came  from  his  home  in  the 
East,  hoping  to  be  benefitted  by  the  climate; 
but  in  his  case  nature  had  given  up  trying,  and 
he  requested  to  be  laid  upon  the  banks  of  Tahoe, 
preferring  the  sunny  hill  side  of  the  Golden 
State  for  his  last  sleep,  to  the  frost  bound  home 
of  his  childhood.  Adams  gave  me  the  benefit 
of  several  anecdotes,  two  of  which  I  will  relate, 
as  the  disposition  of  the  narrator  is  so  very 
apparent  in  both. 

There  was  an  old  man  camping  in  these  woods 


LAKE    TAHOE.  89 

and  he  owned  a  donkey,  which  appeared  to  be  a 
veteran  also.  The  two  had  just  returned  from 
an  expedition  in  quest  of  supplies.  The  donkey 
Was  tied  to  a  tree  while  the  owner  busied  him- 
self gathering  faggots  for  the  camp  fire.  A 
hunter  came  stealing  softly  down  the  hill  and 
caught  sight  of  the  donkey's  back,  and  thinking 
it  was  a  grizzly  bear,  drew  Ids  rifle  and  shot  the 
poor  creature  through.  The  donkey  was  not 
killed  dead,  and  it  is  said  that  it  could  be  heard 
to  roar  at  an  almost  incredible  distance.  The 
old  man  was  nearly  frantic,  not  only  at  the  pecu- 
niary loss  which  he  was  poorly  able  to  bear,  but 
from  the  death  of  a  creature  that  had  been  his 
faithful  servant  and  only  companion  for  years. 
When  the  hunter  came  to  learn  his  mistake,  his 
feelings  can  better  be  imagined  than  described, 
fie  paid  the  old  man  for  his  donkey,  and  earnestly 
requested  that  nothing  be  said  about  the  matter, 
as  he  was  a  candidate  for  some  political  office. 

As  to  the  other  story,  Adams  was  himself  one 
of  the  express  company.  Several  men  had  set 
out  upon  an  expedition  over  the  mountains, 
taking  pack  animals,  intending  to  spend  a  few 


90  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

days  in  the  open  air.  There  came  a  heavy  fall 
of  snow,  and  the  campers  were  detained  until 
they  run  short  of  provisions,  and  there  was  some 
danger  of  their  perishing  before  they  could  reach 
a  settlement.  They  had  among  the  pack  animals 
a  }oung  gelding  donkey.  The  creature  was  a 
short-legged  little  dump,  very  fat,  with  a  remark- 
able amiable  disposition,  and  a  great  pet  by  all 
wlu>  knew  him.  He  was  called  Little  Jim,  and 
it  was  found  quite  impossible  for  the  short-legged 
little  creature  to  keep  pace  with  the  other  ani- 
mals in  the  deep  snow,  although  he  would  hold 
his  own  wonderfully  with  an  ordinary  chance. 
His  pack  was  removed  to  the  back  of  another 
animal,  and  he  was  led  in  the  trail  made  by  the 
rest,  and  everything  done  to  equalize  things;  but 
there  was  no  use,  the  train  were  obliged  to  stop 
often  for  Little  Jim  to  come  up,  or  he  would 
have  been  left  hopelessly  behind  to  perish  in  the 
snow.  When  the  men  had  been  without  food  for 
two  days,  and  the  prospects  were  that  two  more 
might  elapse  before  a  settlement  could  be  reached, 
one  of  the  company,  more  desperate  than  the  rest, 
proposed    that    they    kill    Little  Jim    and    make 


LAKE    TAHOE.  91 

steak  of  him.  At  first  the  men  cast  sidelong 
glances  at  one  another,  as  if  ashamed  of  the 
thought,  and  at  last  commenced  to  discuss  the 
matter.  After  listening  to  an  argument  in  which 
Jim's  disabilities  were  ably  set  forth,  the  owner 
gave  a  sorrowful  consent  that  the  creature  should 
be  slain  to  save  the  lives  of  himself  and  com- 
panions. They  cast  lots  as  to  who  should  fire 
the  shot  that  was  to  bring  Jim  to  his  death,  mer- 
cifully excluding  the  name  of  the  owner,  as  he 
said  that  he  would  never  raise  his  hand  to  take 
the  life  of  a  creature  that  he  had  fed  and  reared. 
and  that  placed  unlimited  confidence  in  him. 
This  excuse  was  accepted,  and  poor  Little  Jim 
fell  by  the  hand  of  another.  Said  the  narrator, 
I  could  see  a  change  come  over  the  countenances 
of  the  men  the  moment  they  heard  the  crack  of 
the  rifle,  as  if  this  was  indeed  a  desperate  meas- 
ure. They  skinned  the  hind  quarters  of  the 
donkey  and  cooked  it  like  steak,  declaring  it  to 
be  the  sweetest,  tenderest.  jucie.-t  meat  that  they 
had  ever  eaten,  far  surpassing  the  steak  of  beef; 
and  to  this  day  they  still  assert  that  their  preju- 
dice in   favor  of  donkey  beef  was  certainly  not 


92  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

entirely  the  results  of  ravenous  hunger.  My 
narrator  here  added  that  they  all  felt  like  mur- 
derous cowards  for  killing  Little  Jim,  and  that 
the  comforts  of  justification  only  came  to  their 
relief  by  a  consciousness  of  this  measure  having 
saved  their  lives,  for  it  was  two  days  more  before 
they  reached  the  settlement.  Alas,  poor  Jim! 
and  I  brushed  a  tear  from  my  glasses  as  we 
drove  up  to  the  Hot  Spring  Hotel. 

The  people  came  out  of  the  house  en  masse  to 
greet  the  new  comers.  Among  the  members  of 
the  household  was  a  dear  little  fawn,  about  two 
months  and  a  half  old.  It  seemed  to  realize  the 
fact  that  it  had  some  new  acquaintances  to  make 
or  that  it  had  discovered  an  old  one  in  my  buck- 
skin gloves,  for  I  was  not  long  in  finding  out 
that  the  creature  had  not  been  weaned.  A  tourist 
stopping  at  the  hotel  had  a  couple  of  very  fine 
dogs,  one  an  Italian  greyhound,  the  other  a  black 
and  tan.  These  dogs  would  weigh  about  five 
pounds  apiece,  and  were  understood  to  be  '"heavy 
dogs."  Tan  was  very  fond  of  chasing  the  fawn, 
always  taking  the  lead  in  every  enterprise,  while 
the  hound   would    follow   any   example.     For   a 


LAKE    TAHOE.  93 

while  the  chase  was  nice  sport,  and  the  fawn 
seemed  to  enjoy  it  as  well  as  the  dogs.  At  last 
it  became  annoying,  and  the  little  deer  would 
seek  refuge  beside  some  one,  as  if  soliciting  pro- 
tection. She  was  standing  by  my  side,  watching 
the  movements  of  the  dogs  with  much  apparent 
anxiety,  and  I  said,  "  Fawny,  why  don't  you 
strike  the  dogs  with  your  feet,*'  (at  the  same  time 
making  a  gesture,  i  "  that  would  make  them  keep 
quiet."  I  had  hardly  finished  speaking  when 
Tan  came  up,  barking  furiously,  expecting  the 
deer  to  run,  when  to  my  astonishment  the  fawn 
leaped  forward,  striking  the  dog  a  hard  blow  with 
her  little  sharp  hoof.  Those  who  saw  it  were 
both  amused  and  surprised,  for  the  hotel  propri- 
etor said  it  was  her  first  attempt  at  self-defense, 
and  it  appeared  as  if  she  had  taken  my  advice 
instantly.  The  fawn  looked  about  as  if  she 
thought  that  was  just  the  right  thing,  while  the 
poor  sensitive  little  dog  was  evidently  the  most 
astonished  and  humiliated  creature  living.  As 
everybody  laughed,  he  did  not  seem  to  expect 
any  sympathy,  and  lay  down  where  he  could 
keep  an   eye  upon   the  creature  whose  graceful 


04  OVEK   THE    PURl'LE    HILLS. 

movements  had  so  delighted  his  little  dog's 
heart;  and  the  glances  which  lie  cast  about 
plainly  showed  what  he  was  thinking  of,  and 
when  any  person  spoke  to  him  he  licked  his  little 
foot  in  silence,  still  looking  at  the  fawn  as  if  he 
could  not  believe  his  senses.  The  two  dogs  never 
after  offered  to  give  chase  to  the  fawn. 

Now  for  the  first  time  I  walk  out  upon  the 
wharf  to  take  a  look  at  the  matchless  waters  of 
Lake  Tahoe.  I  can  only  express  myself  in 
exclamations.  The  water  is  so  clear  that  one  can 
see  to  the  depth  of  fifty  feet  any  object  that  is 
visible  at  that  distance  in  the  open  air.  When 
at  a  distance  from  the  lake  I  had  not  been  much 
impressed  with  its  superiority  over  other  bodies 
of  water.  To  be  sure  the  green,  purple,  blue  and 
white  lines  were  rather  wonderful;  but  one  must 
get  acquainted  wTith  tfiis  delightful  sheet  of  water 
to  appreciate  it.  The  lake  is  thirty-six  miles  in 
length  and  fifteen  in  width;  lies  parti}'  in  the 
Golden  and  partly  in  the  Silver  State;  is  literally 
cradled  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains,  six 
thousand  four  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.     All    along    the   northern    shore    there  are 


LAKE    TAHOE.  95 

springs  of  boiling  hot  water  coining  to  the  sur- 
face, containing  lime,  magnesia,  sulphur.  The 
hot  baths  are  delightful,  the  water  possessing 
just  the  requisite  properties  for  cleansing  both 
the  cuticle  and  all  kinds  of  clothing.  <  )ne  comes 
ft. mi  the  bath  as  white  and  pure  as  a  new  kid 
glove.  Notwithstanding  these  hot  springs,  which 
can  be  seen  boiling  up  between  sheets  of  melted 
lava,  the  body  of  the  lake  water  is  extremely  cold. 
No  animal  life  exists  except  that  which  is  indi- 
gent to  northern  latitudes.  There  are  plenty  of 
trout,  whitefish  and  salmon  trout,  I  am  told. 
The  trout  do  not  stroll  about  alone,  but  are 
always  seen  in  shoals.  A  finny  community  of 
these  graceful  fishes  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
sights  associated  with  these  transparent  waters. 
The  \\ater  is  so  clear  from  foreign  substance,  so 
cold  and  void  of  insect  life,  that  it  is  a  wonder 
how  the  fishes  manage  to  subsist.  No  vegetation 
is  seen  growing  in  any  part  of  this  lake,  the 
bottom  being  melted  lava  or  rocks.  Dead  fishes 
are  occasionally  seen  lying  upon  their  backs, 
showing  no  signs  of  decay.  Nearly  all  the  fish 
seen  dead  are  about  the  same  ajje  —  two  years 


96  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

old.  Since  trout  farming  has  become  a  business 
it  is  an  easy  matter  to  understand  the  age  of  a 
trout  by  its  size.  I  am  wondering  if  the  trout 
cut  a  new  set  of  teeth,  or  develop  fresh  fins  or 
gills,  that  tax  their  vitality  at  a  certain  age,  caus- 
ing unusual  mortality  among  them.  The  fish 
farmers  ought  to  know. 

There  have  been  thirteen  human  lives  lost 
upon  this  water  within  a  few  years ;  not  a  body 
has  ever  been  recovered.  It  is  supposed  that,  the 
water  being  so  cold,  no  gasses  form,  and  the 
bodies  are  preserved,  never  rising  to  the  surface. 
Upon  this  lake  there  is  a  beautiful  little  steamer, 
of  sixty-four  tons  burden,  drawing  about  three 
feet  of  water.  This  boat  wears  the  brand  of  the 
Central  Pacific  Railroad,  as  nearly  everything 
does  upon  the  Pacific  coast,  being  called  the 
Governor  Stanford.  At  eight  o'clock  every  morn- 
ing this  steamer  leaves  Hot  Spring  wharf  for 
Tahoe  City  and  all  the  points  of  interest  upon 
the  lake.  The  day  I  took  passage  quite  an  event 
occurred,  and  as  said  event  was  productive  of  no 
immediate  serious  results,  of  course  it  caused 
much  amusement  to  the  spectators.     A  tourist 


LAKE    TAHOB.  97 

from  San  Francisco,  entirely  unaccustomed  to 
the  water,  and  ignorant  of  the  philosophy  of 
navigation,  jumped  from  the  wharf  into  the  stern 
of  a  small  row  boat:  of  course  the  boat  shot  from 
under  the  astonished  landsman,  and  left  him 
splashing  in  twenty  feet  of  transparent  water. 
The  man  could  not  swim,  and  was  rescued  by  the 
bar- keeper  of  the  place,  who  it  seems  has  another 
mission  besides  that  of  mixing  mint  juleps  and 
cocktails.  The  ambitious  tourist  retired  from 
sight  amid  the  plaudits  of  the  spectators,  who  of 
course  were  congratulating  him  upon  his  timely 
rescue,  not  making  sport  of  his  foolhardy  enter- 
prise. In  a  reasonable  length  of  time  a  gentle- 
man's outfit  could  be  seen  dangling  in  a  limp 
manner  from  one  of  the  dormer  windows  in  the 
hotel. 

From  Hut  Springs  to  Tahoe  City  the  distance 
is  nearly  ten  miles,  and  is  a  most  enchanting 
voyage.  The  water  is  so  clear  that  it  is  impos- 
sible to  detect  the  surface  except  by  the  ripples 
made  by  the  steamer,  or  in  case  some  foreign 
substance  should  chance  to  be  borne  along  on  the 
surface;  and  leaning  over  the  side  of  the  steamer 
7 


98  OVER   THE    PURPLE    BILLS. 

gave  one  the  impression  of  being  propelled 
through  the  air.  The  boat  was  not  heavily 
loaded,  and  seemed  to  glide  upon  the  surface  like 
a  bird.  The  agitation  caused  by  the  movement 
of  the  boat  made  a  nn  >>t  charming  picture,  giving 
the  steamer  the  appearance  of  being  trimmed 
with  white  and  pearl-gray  lace  upon  a  deep  blue 
satin  background,  thickly  spangled  with  silver 
buttons.  The  water  is  blue  as  indigo  where  it  is 
over  a  hundred  feet  deep,  and  green  as  a  piece  of 
beautiful  green  silk  where  it  is  only  fifty  and 
seventy-five  feet.  "Where  the  green  and  blue 
waters  join  a  line  of  the  most  delicate  purple  is 
the  result;  and  the  reason  the  beautiful  tints  are 
so  fine  and  distinct  is  because  of  the  water  being 
so  perfectly  pure.  Xo  person  can  conceive  or 
imagine  the  perfection  of  color  and  its  wonderful 
beauty  without  first  beholding  it.  There  are 
places  which  are  known  as  beyond  the  soundings, 
where  the  water  is  so  deep  that  exquisite  blue 
and  violet  is  turned  to  a  blue-black,  and  is  called 
the  black  waters.  Where  the  waier  is  fifty  feet 
deep  we  are  shown  the  coral  beds,  so  called  from 
their  resemblance  to  coral,  but  really  beds  of 


LAKE    TAHOB.  99 

pumice  stone,  which  have  been  for  ages  subject 
to  the  action  of  volcanic  tires,  and  at  last  settled 
down,  been  overcome  by  another  element,  become 
the  bed  of  a  lake  which  is  decidedly  cool;  and 
when  earth's  changes  shall  drain  Tahoe  of  its 
crvstal  waters,  it  will  leave  something  such  a 
valley  as  Yosemite,  minus,  however,  the  grand 
rocky  formation  of  that  valley.  The  shadow  of 
the  smoke  coming  from  the  steamer  could  be  seen 
at  the  depth  of  fifty  feet  as  plainly  as  if  it  had 
fallen  upon  a  board  walk. 

Thus  far  I  have  been  so  enchanted  with  the 
waters  of  this  lake  that  I  have  entirely  over- 
looked the  surroundings,  almost  forgotten  that  it 
had  any;  but  it  lies  in  a  fairy  land,  being  enclosed 
in  aii  unbroken  chain  of  hills  covered  with  brown 
and  fringed  with  mountain  pines.  The  distance 
around  the  lake  is  about  one  hundred  miles;  but 
at  intervals  all  along  the  shores  arc  public  houses, 
giving  accommodations  to  the  tourist  in  a  variety 
of  locations.  There  are  stage  lines,  post-offices 
and  telegraph  lines  in  all  directions.  Beautiful 
women  and  children,  in  gay  dresses,  are  seen 
playing  croquet,  swinging,  and  participating  in 


1"0  |     I  HE     IT!:!  F.K    H]  !  I.-. 

all  manner  of  outdoor  games,  fishing  and  html 
pebbles,  for  there  are  do  little  shells  to  be  gath- 
ered on  these  shores.     Tlie  angleworms  used  for 
bait  are  brought  from  Chicago,  and   sold   to  the 
Bporting  tourist. 

In  this  faultless  climate  there  are  no  storms 
of  wind  or  rain,  nor  intense  heat  to  prostrate  or 
interfere  with  one's  plans  by  the  day.  week,  or 
for  the  summer  campaign.  The  wood-  are  alive 
with  people  camping  out  for  the  benefit  of  the 
mountain  atmosphere;  and  many  avail  them- 
selves of  this  >ight-seeing  who  could  hardly  stand 
the  trip  as  taken  by  the  touri>t,  with  the  expense 
of  public  locomotion  and  that  of  living  at  hotels. 
It  certainly  takes  cares  outside  of  climatic  influ- 
ence in  California  to  create  in  man  a  compen- 
sating wretchedness. 

In  our  steamboat  route  we  pass  a  place  known 
as  Emerald  Bay.  Here,  in  one  view,  the  blue 
water,  the  violet  and  the  most  exquisite  green,  all 
come  before  the  sight  in  rotation.  It  seemed  t<  i 
me  that  the  waters  of  this  bay,  and  the  hills 
around  must  be  peopled  with  spirits,  faries.  or 
some  unearthly  beings.     One  realizes  that  this 


LAKE    TA1  l"l 

lake  Lies  near  heaven;  it  is  the  only  way  to 
satisfy  the  imagination  in  regard  to  its  unearthly 
colors  and  indescribable  beauty.  Ben  Salliday 
has  a  summer  residence  upon  the  banks  of  *'■ 
fairy  waters,  and  here  an  old  Bailor  made  a  grave 
and  built  a  tomb  for  himself,  and  to  show  the 
uncertainty  of  things  in  this  life,  even  in  death, 
he  was  never  buried  at  all.  but  lost  at  sea. 
Beyond  this  point  of  interest  there  is  a  bluff 
rising  perpendicular  from  the  water's  edge  th 
or  four  hundred  feet,  and  the  water  i-  said  to  be 
a  hundred  feet  deep  at  its  hase.     Cr  ver 

from  Emerald  Bay  to  this  hlutf  is  termed  span- 
ning the  Rubicon.  Just  around  one  point  there 
i-  standing  a  rough  stone  image,  which  a  little 
stretch  of  the  imagination  will  convert  into  a 
grizzly.  Bitting  on  his  haunches,  with  paws 
drooping.      This    in    s  rtainly    hears    more 

resemblance  to  a  grizzly  than  it  does  to  a  don- 
key, and  in  return  for  politeness  rendered  me 
once  upon  a  time,  I  propose  to  call  it  Governor 
Stanford,  after  the  little  steamboat  of  that  name. 
Here  the  whistle  of  the  Bteamer  was  sounded 
that   the   p.    ■     .  yhl    listen   to   the  echo. 


102  OVEB    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

Further  on  we  were  shown  a  cave,  a  singularly 
conspicuous  formation, standing  with  its  entrance 
vi tv  properly  toward  the  lake.  It  stands  alone 
at  tlic  foot  of  the  hills,  upon  the  bank,  as  if  for 
the  convenience  of  water;  is  a  mass.  T  should 
think,  seventy-rive  or  a  hundred  feet  in  height, 
having  the  general  outline  of  an  old-fashioned 
mud  oven;  the  entrance  is  shaped  like  the  mouth 
of  an  oven  and  is  said  to  lead  to  a  room  thirty 
feet  deep.  Some  of  the  gods  may  have  done 
their  baking  in  this  locality  while  planning  the 
design  for  Tahoe  and  experimenting  upon  its 
exquisite  colors.  At  Glenbrook,  a  lumbering 
point,  the  steamer  ties  up  for  the  night.  Here 
we  fully  realize  that  this  beautiful  lake  can  be 
desecrated  by  practical  uses.  Logs  are  made  into 
rafts  and  floated  upon  its  limped  waters;  mills 
are  built  upon  its  banks;  hard-handed  laborers 
work  about  its  fairy  precincts,  looking  like  any 
thing  but  angels,  although  they  may  become 
such  when  they  lay  off  their  buff-colored  over- 
alls and  being  baptized  in  the  purifying  waters 
of  Tahoe;  it  may  be  so,  I  decline  to  be  their 
judge.      In   this   altitude   there  is  frost   every 


LAKE    TAHOE.  108 

month  in  the  year;  the  consequence  is  that  few 
persons  will  make  permanent  residence,  as  noth- 
ing hut  cabbages,  potatoes,  and  such  vegetation 
as  frost  does  not  injure,  can  be  raised  with  any 
degree  of  certainty.  The  snow  falls  very  dec]) 
in  winter,  although  it  is  not  cold,  hut  the  time 
is  coming  when  many  of  the  hotels  will  he  kept 
open  all  winter  as  the  population  increases  and 
there  is  a  demand  for  winter  resorts  for  invalids, 
for  the  air  of  this  region  is  as  pure  as  its  waters. 
I  tarried  for  the  night  in  a  comfortable  country 
hotel,  situated  in  the  edge  of  a  delightful  forest 
of  pines,  and  took  the  little  Bteamer  at  seven  in 
the  morning,  and  at  eight  had  made  the  round 
of  the  lake  and  returned  to  Hot  Spring  Hotel. 
Here  T  learned  that  another  tourist  had  fallen  off 
the  wharf  while  experimenting  with  a  boat  and 
was  rescued  by  the  same  man.  This  made  three 
one  hoy  of  nine  years,  ami  two  men 
who  had  taken  a  plunge-hath  in  one  week  from 
the  same  point,  and  all  rescued  by  the  little  bar 
tender,  who  is  known  as  "Shorty."  If  this  man 
-  on  in  this  way  he  certainly  should  receive 
a  medal   from  some  organization  of  a  humanita- 


104  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

rian  nature.  The  society  formed  for  preventing 
cruelty  to  animals  should  recognize  him  in 
absence  of  any  other;  for  man  is  certainly  an 
animal,  and  at  times  manifesting  sufficient 
greenness  to  almost  be  claimed  as  a  vegetable. 
This  water  is  so  distilled  from  all  foreign  parti- 
cles that  it  is  extremely  light,  making  it  difficult 
for  swimmers  to  keep  up,  and  the  lightness  of 
the  air  in  this  altitude  may  have  something  to 
do  with  the  difficulty  of  swimming.  Logs,  tim- 
ber, boards,  and  corked  bottles  go  to  the  bottom. 
There  is  a  rumor  to  the  effect  that  the  railroad 
company  intend  some  day  to  tunnel  the  moun- 
tain at  this  point  to  save  the  vast  yearly  expend- 
iture for  snow  sheds.  If  this  tunneling  is  ever 
accomplished,  it  will  be  an  easy  matter  to  con- 
duct the  waters  of  Lake  Talioe  to  the  cities  of 
Sacramento,  San  Jose,  and  San  Francisco,  fur- 
nishing them  with  the  best  water  in  the  world. 
Then  an  extra  pipe  could  be  laid  from  the  Hot 
Springs,  thus  giving  them  water  for  cleansing 
purposes  that  if  properly  used  would  cleanse  the 
dirty  pool  of  politics.  Sacramento  would  have 
occasion  to  rejoice,  San  Jose  to  be  more  exquisite, 


LAKE    TAHOE.  105 

and  San  Francisco  to  be  glad,  as  this  prepared 
water  would  make  a  "wonderful  saving  in  soap, 
besides  giving  unlimited  means  of  purification. 
These  cities  could  then  have  public  baths,  so  that 
the  poorest  paid  laborer  would  have  an  oppor- 
tunity to  cleanse  his  cuticle,  and  grow  in  purity 
of  character  in  proportion  to  personal  cleanliness. 
The  "Muldoons"  and  "Hoodlums"  would  then 
come  into  the  presence  of  his  honor,  the  police 
judge,  with  clean  faces,  and  society  would  be 
revolutionized  for  the  better.  When  all  this  is 
brought  about  by  the  money  and  enterprise  of 
the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Co.,  I  am  ready  to 
forgive  them  for  being  a  powerful  grasping 
monopoly. 

FISH    FARMING    AT    LAKE   TAHOE. 

Pingel,  Morgan  &  Hurly  are  the  names  of  the 
men  composing  the  firm  engaged  in  the  business 
of  pisciculture  at  Tahoe  City.  This  is  compara- 
tively a  new  business,  and  the  public  must  be 
interested  in  anything  written  upon  this  subject, 
at  least  until  it  is  better  understood.  As  this 
lake  lies  partly  in  the  State  of  California  and 


106  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

partly  in  Nevada,  those  States  have  passed  acts 
protecting  the  fish,  making-it  an  offense  to  catch 
them  with  seins  at  any  season  of  the  year. 
Farming  companies  are  however  permitted  to 
draw  them  with  the  sein  for  their  spawn,  return- 
ing the  fish  uninjured  to  the  water  again,  as  .will 
presently  be  understood.  The  first  of  April  the 
male  fish  starts  up  the  tributaries,  it  is  supposed 
to  find  a  suitable  place  for  the  female  to  spawn. 
The  fact  that  the  male  goes  first  to  prepare  the 
way  was  ascertained  by  the  first  hauls  that  were 
made  proving  mostly  male  fish;  of  course  they 
produced  no  spawn  and  it  was  found  upon  experi- 
menting that  the  fish  must  be  caught  later  in  the 
season  in  order  to  obtain  equal  numbers  of  both 
sexes.  A  little  later  the  male  returns  to  the  lake, 
takes  his  mate,  and  the  two  start  off  together, 
continuing  their  course  up  the  stream  until  the 
water  is  so  shallow  that  they  can  barely  live. 
Here  the  female  deposits  the  spawn  and  the  male 
passes  over  it,  leaving  the  semen.  It  is  said  that 
the  male  defends  the  eggs,  gallantly  fighting, 
and  doing  his  best  to  keep  away  the  villainous 


LAKE    TAHOE.  107 

fishes   which  always   follow  these   pilgrims  on 
purpose  to  eat  the  spawn. 

Who  taught  the  little  fish  the  way 

Her  finny  course  to  steer, 
To  search  out  inland  cove  and  bay, 

And  guard  her  young  with  fear? 

The  sein  is  spread  at  the  mouth  of  the  strea.rf 
to  catch  them  as  they  are  going  up,  and  they  are 
captured  by  thousands.  They  are  then  placed 
in  a  creel,  made  of  slats  an  inch  in  width  and 
half  an  inch  apart.  This  creel  is  shaped  much 
like  a  large  coffin,  having  a  little  trap  door  at  the 
top.  The  fish  are  taken  from  the  net  and  put 
into  the  creel,  which  lies  partly  under  water. 
This  is  then  brought  alongside  a  small  pier  and 
the  fishes  taken  up  by  a  scoop-net  and  put  into 
a  pail.  Here  the  females  are  squeezed  until  they 
emit  about  a  hundred  of  their  eggs,  and  the 
males  are  served  tlie  same,  emitting  a  small 
quantity  of  semen.  The  fishes  are  then  returned 
to  the  lake  t<>  resume  their  propagating  pilgrim- 
age without  injury  or  further  interruption.  The 
vessel    containing   the   spawn    is   permitted   to 


108  B      I  Ml      !M   KIM. I.     II 

stand  a  few  minutes,  being  once  Btirred  ab< 
tli*-  impregnation  is  then  complete,  and  I 
are  placed  in  .-hallow  troughs  six  inches  or  a 
in  width  and   ten  feet  long.     These  boxes  are 
placed   upon  an  inclined  plane  and  covered  by 
Bhedding,  thus  shading  them  from  the  sun.    Tin' 

(rater  to  be  obtained,  even  ice  water, 
permitted  to  trickle  over  the  spawn  until  they 
are  hatched.  The  exact  time  which  it  takes  the 
eggs  to  hatch  T  did  not  ascertain.  The  age  of 
fishes  can  now  he  ohtained  as  accurately  as  any 
other  creatun-.  Seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the 
-  are  hatched  by  this  process.  The  colder 
the  water  the  longer  they  will  be  in  coming 
forth,  but  the  hardier.  Fishes  hatched  in  warmer 
water  are  not  as  liable  to  live.  When  first 
hatched  the  minnows  are  about  half  an  inch  in 
length,  as  lively  as  crickets,  and  for  several  days 
they  carry  upon  their  backs  the  belicose  sack, 
which  looks  like  a  beech  tree  bud  when  it  first 
begins  to  swell  in  the  spring  of  the  year.  The 
creatures  appear  wonderfully  funny,  moving 
rapidly  about  with  a  little  pink  sack  upon  their 
backs.     When  leaving  the  spawning  boxes  they 


LAKE    TAHOE.  109 

are  put  into  another  small  trough  of  runn 
water,  and  kept  for  a  few  weeks;  I  ieo  placed 
into  deep  ponds  ten  or  twelve  feet  across,  where 
they  are  able  to  hide  from  the  sun.  Tin-  trout 
minently  a  cold-water  fish,  Beeking  the  deep 
dy  nooks  and  quiet  pools  of  the  coldest 
mountain  streams.  The  fishes  of  one  pond  are 
all  of  one  age;  this  precaution  is  necessary  to 
keep  them  from  eating  one  another.  The  trout 
is  a  rascally  cannibal;  having  a  great  mouth  la- 
can  swallow  a  fish  nearly  as  )a  dinself. 
They  are  fed  with  finely  minced  meat,  and  it  is 
a  very  nice  sight  to  -ee  them  jump  and  scramble 
over  one  another  like  chickens,  when  coming  for 
food.  They  manifee  tuch  intelligence  as 
birds  do,  and  the  keeper  said  he  became  very 
much  attached  to  them.  The  keeper  had  a  little 
scoop-net  with  which  he  touched  the  water; 
they  thinking  there  was  food  came  once,  but 
could  not  be  deceived  again,  for  they  did  not 
come  out  until  there  were  piea  s  of  meat  visible. 
At  seven  weeks  old  they  are  little  over  an  inch 
in  length;  at  one  year  old  they  are  about  six 
inches;    at  two,  eight;  at  five  years  old,  fifteen 


110  OVEB    THE    PURPLE    HILLS, 

inches  in  length,  and  quite  a  fish,  weighing  two 
and  a  half  or  three  pounds.  Judging  from  the 
size,  many  of  these  fishes  live  to  be  ten,  fifteen 
and  twenty  years  of  age.  This  fish  farm  is 
about  five  years  old,  is  a  success  financially. 
The  fishes  are  sold  for  supplying  aquariums; 
also  for  food.  Many  tourists,  ladies  and  children, 
think  it  a  very  nice  thing  to  go  a  fronting,  and 
for  a  consideration  they  are  permitted  to  try 
their  skill  at  angling  in  these  ponds.  The  fishes 
are  so  tame  that  they  can  be  scooped  up  in 
numbers  with  the  hand  net.  The  white  fish  is  a 
pleasant  feature  of  these  ponds.  Those  that  I 
saw  were  about  a  foot  in  length,  of  a  light  trans- 
parent gray  color,  with  beautiful  bright  silver 
dots  upon  their  sides."  The  white  fish  has  no 
cannibalistic  tendencies;  he  is  a  scavenger,  grub- 
bing at  the  bottom  of  the  pond  for  his  living. 
He  has  a  small  round  mouth,  projecting  like 
the  snout  of  a  pig,  and  surrounded  with  a  carti- 
lageous  ring  something  like  the  rooter  of  the 
swine,  and  two  little  fins  appear  about  where  the 
ears  should  be,  making  him  look  still  more 
piggy,    and    to    complete    the    resemblance,   he 


LAKE    TAHOE. 


Ill 


actually  roots  the  dirt  upon  the  bottom  as  he 
passes  along,  champing  swineishly.  The  waters 
of  Tahoe  are  so  transparent  that  its  inhabitants, 
the  fishes,  might  as  well  live  in  glass  houses. 


COKAL  OK  ALABASTEE  CAVE. 

npHIS  natural  curiosity  is  situated  in  Eldroado 
-*-  county,  nine  miles  north  of  Auburn,  the 
county  seat  of  Placer  county.  This  cave  was 
discovered  the  18th  of  April,  1860,  by  some 
workmen  who  were  excavating  in  the  side  of  the 
mountain  for  a  lime  kiln.  Soon  after  its  dis- 
covery it  was  visited  by  Starr  King,  and  a  party 
of  several  persons  from  San  Francisco.  Starr 
King  offered  up  a  prayer  from  the  natural  pulpit 
thus  dedicating  it  in  a  Christian  like  manner  to 
the  general  public.  At  first  it  was  called  Coral 
cave  and  the  register  appeared  with  this  heading, 
but  it  seems  that  Alabaster  is  preferred  by  the 
natives,  for  the  latter  has  succeeded  the  former, 
so  that  it  is  generally  known  as  Alabaster  cave. 
The  floor  of  the  cavern  is  very  irregular  and 
(112) 


CORAL    OR    ALABASTER    (AVE.  113 

muddy,  making  it  necessary  to  wear  rubber  over 
shoes  while  exploring.  About  fifty  candles  are 
cut  in  two,  lighted,  and  placed  upon  niches  and 
boards  upon  the  floor  in  order  to  give  the  neces 
sary  illumination.  A  large  looking  glass  was 
also  placed  at  the  entrance  where  the  sun  could 
strike  it  and  the  reflected  light  was  thrown  upon 
some  of  the  most  prominent  object-.  The  whole 
cavern  is  about  three  hundred  feet  long  and  a 
hundred  in  width  in  many  places,  still  the  differ- 
ent compartments  are  as  haphazard  as  one  would 
expect  in  a  natural  excavation.  In  some  parts 
it  is  so  low  that  one  is  obliged  to  stoop  very 
much  in  order  to  pa^s,  in  other  places  it  is  ten  or 
twelve  feet  to  the  roof,  and  in  two  or  three  instan- 
ces the  roof  terminates  in  a  tunnel  or  funnel, 
resembling  a  chimney,  but  not  running  up  a 
sufficient  distance  to  open  the  ground  at  the  top. 
There  are  places  where  the  roof  seems  to  be 
ceiled  or  inlaid  with  marble,  striped  all  one  way, 
and  with  a  wonderful  variety  of  colors,  and  as  if 
the  cracks  or  joint-  appeared  about  two  feet  apart. 
There  are  rows  of  fine  stalactites  forming  a  fringe, 
partaking  of  the  same   variety  of   colors  as  the 


114  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

marble  ceiling.  In  a  dim  light  one  can  fancy 
that  it  is  ornamental  papers  cut  and  placed  in 
rows  as  they  are  seen  in  restaurants  for  fly  screens. 
In  some  places  beautiful  stalactites,  shaped  and 
colored  like  tallow  candles,  hang  from  the  roof 
and  remind  me  forcibly  of  the  days  when  our 
grandmothers  dipped  candles  and  hung  them  in 
some  out  of  the  way  room  to  dry  and  harden  fit 
for  use.  Some  of  these,  judging  by  the  tint, 
seem  to  have  more  beeswax  in  them  than  oth- 
ers. Many  of  them  were  shaped  like  a  carrot, 
and  some  exactly  the  same  pale  yellow  color;  an 
exquisite  shade  of  buff  when  examined  by  sun 
light.  Some,  from  a  composition  of  iron,  are 
tinted  with  pink.  All  are  dropping  tears  of  a 
chemical  preparation,  though  not  profusely. 

There  is  one  beautiful  object  known  as  Mrs. 
Lincoln's  pocket  handkerchief.  It  is  suspended 
from  the  roof  like  a  napkin  held  in  the  center, 
.showing  two  of  the  corners.  There  is  a  line 
looking  like  a  wide  hem,  and  the  whole  is  as 
white  as  a  wax  lily,  and  the  angles  are  so  perfect 
that  it  has  the  exact  appearance  of  a  very  elegant 
handkerchief.     There  are    not   many  stalagmites 


CORAL  OR  ALABASTER  CAVE.        115 

in  this  cavern.  Those  that  are  to  be  seen  are 
formed  in  lumps  looking  like  sheep,  lambs,  or 
animals  in  repose. 

The  celebrated  pulpit  is  a  huge  lump  of  the 
dripping  chemicals,  stalagmitic  in  formation, 
situated  upon  a  side  elevation,  and  a  dark  buff 
color.  The  corrugations  occurring  in  most  of 
these  objects,  gives  them  the  appearance  of  hav- 
ing been  carved  or  turned  in  a  lathe.  There  is  a 
singular  formation  which  appears  like  a  beef 
heart  hanging  upon  a  wall.  The  yellow  flakes  »f 
tailow  usually  accompanying  the  fresh  heart  of 
a  beef,  are  upon  this  object  as  if  it  were  a  work 
of  imitation  in  art.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that 
this  beautiful  curiosity  in  nature  cannot  be  pro- 
tected from  vandalism.  Its  stalactites  are  broken 
off  and  carried  away  :  nearly  every  cabinet  on 
the  Pacific  coast  has  a  specimen,  thus  robbing 
the  public  of  a  rare  and  wonderful  treat  in  the 
line  of  natural  curiosity. 

'•  SWEET    AUBURN." 

Auburn,  the  county  seat  of  Placer  county,  is 
a  lovely    little    place  of   about    fifteen    hundred 


116  OVER    THE    PURPLE   HILLS. 

hundred  inhabitants.  Is  located  half  a  mile  from 
the  Central  Pacific  Hailroad.  It  is  more  enchant- 
ing because  of  its  hilly  site,  its  wonderfully 
healthy  climate  and  dense  shade,  than  from  its 
architectural  beauty.  The  streets  are  as  uncer- 
tain in  their  angles  as  those  of  the  town  of 
Monterey.  The  thoroughfares  were  never  laid 
out  in  either  of  these  places,  but  just  grew  from 
circumstances.  I  have  a  wonderful  liking-  for 
these  mountain  towns  —  they  may  not  be  as  well 
for  money  making  operations,  but  they  are  more 
peaceful  and  quiet  than  the  valley  towns.  The 
inhabitants  are  fairer  in  complexion,  the  fruits 
are  finer  in  flavor,  the  flowers  are  more  fragrant, 
in  fact  they  are  nearer  heaven  than  the  valleys, 
and  while  we  tarry  out  of  paradise,  there  is  no 
better  place  to  live  and  breathe  than  in  these 
mountain  towns  of  the  Golden  State. 


GOING  TO   INTO   THE  YOSEMITE 
VALLEY. 


HOW    TO    VISIT    THE   VALLEY    TO    ADVANTAGE. 

I  THIRST,  purchase  your  tickets  of  parties  most 
popular  in  business.  The  railroad  company 
are  reliable  and  responsible,  and  as  they  run 
nearly  everything  in  this  State,  must  have  a 
share  in  the  pecuniary  interests  of  the  Yosemite. 
In  getting  your  ticket  have  a  fair  understanding- 
placed  in  writing;  for  if  one  fails  to  mention 
the  fact  that  guides  are  to  be  furnished,  extra 
charges  will  be  made  in  the  valley.  This  little 
matter  has  caused  much  annoyance  among 
tourists;  finding  that  they  had  paid  the  price, 
including  guides,  but  not  having  the  fact  stated 
upon  the  ticket  or  in  writing,  were  obliged  to 
pay  extra.  There  is  nothing  right  or  just  about 
(117) 


118  OVER    THE    1URPLE    HILLS. 

this  mode  of  transacting  business,  but  it  is  what 
some  business  men  term  "smart."  It  is  hardly 
passible  for  all  men  to  respect  themselves  too 
much  for  such  contemptible  trickery  in  business. 
The  route  and  time  for  reaching  the  Yosemite 
Valley  are  as  follows:  The  Oakland  boat  leaves 
Broadway  wharf  at  four  o'clock  p.  m.:  after  a 
trip  across  the  bay  you  take  the  train  and  reach 
Lathrop's  at  eight  o'clock,  here  fifteen  minutes 
are  allowed  for  supper;  distance  from  San  Fran- 
cisco eighty-two  miles.  The  hotel  at  this  place 
is  owned  by  the  railroad  company.  The  Thomjj- 
son  brothers,  having  full  control,  do  everything 
to  please  during  the  limited  time  one  remains: 
then  change  cars  for  Merced;  this  is  the  Visalia 
division  of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad.  This 
branch  is  completed  to  Calienta,  a  distance  of 
two  hundred  and  forty-one  miles  from  Lathrop. 
At  Merced  remain  over  night.  The  hotel  here 
is  owned  by  the  railroad  company  also;  is  a 
large  commodious  wooden  building,  at  present 
kept  by  a  pig-headed  proprietor  hardly  capable 
of  taking  charge  of  a  canal  boat,  who  is  so  afraid 
of  offending  people  and  losing  custom  that  a  set 


GOING    INTO    YOSEMJTE   VALLEY.  119 

of  riotous  tourists  are  permitted  to  come  in  and 
take  possession  of  the  house,  to  sing  and  tear 
around  all  night,  while  their  hunting  dogs  are 
kept  in  the  bed-rooms  howling  a  mournful  ves- 
per for  the  benefit  of  persons  who  are  to  ride  by 
stage  sixty-eight  miles  next  day.  If  a  traveler 
lias  a  mind  to  take  the  responsibility  of  saving 
to  them  that  they  shall  be  arrested  for  disturbing 
the  peace,  he  may  possibly  get  an  hour's  sleep 
to  prepare  him  for  his  journey  the  day  following. 
Many  have  owed  to  the  incapacity  of  this  hotel 
proprietor  the  fact  that  they  were  not  able  to 
"  do  "  the  valley  after  reaching  it. 

Stages  leave  the  town  of  Merced  for  both  the 
Mariposa  and  the  Coulterville  route;  the  Mari- 
posa daily  and  the  Coulterville  tri-weekly.  Six 
o'clock  in  the  morning  is  the  time  for  starting. 
It  is  best  to  go  by  the  Mariposa  route  and  return 
by  Coulterville,  as  it  gives  one  just  so  much 
more  variety.  May  or  June  are  the  best  months 
for  \  isitingthis  wonder  in  nature,  because  of  the 
falls  which  are  made  and  sustained   by  the 

snows   upon    loftier  peaks.     The  valley  may 
be  seen  with  pleasure  and  advantage  at  almost 


120  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

any  season  of  the  year,  but  many  of  those  beau- 
tiful falls  fail  during  latter  part  of  summer.  At 
present  the  people  can  only  complain  of  the  lit- 
tle clap-traps  organized  to  get  money  out  of  the 
traveling  public.  I.  for  my  part,  see  nothing 
wrong  in  the  private  enterprise  of  building  roads 
and  making  trails  about  the  valley,  where  a 
small  toll  is  charged.  It  is  certain  that  this 
thing  would  not  have  been  accessible  to  the  pub- 
lic for  some  time  yet,  but  for  the  individual's 
hope  of  making  something.  It  will  be  some 
time  itow  before  the  State  really  wakes  up  to  the 
fact  of  having  this  valley  to  take  care  of;  and 
still  some  time  before  it  will  work  intelligently 
as  to  the  needs  of  the  public.  The  lands  are 
1  for  the  purpose  of  raising  a  fund,  and  it 
is  to  be  hoped  that  sonic  firm,  strong,  rustic 
bridges  will  be  constructed  across  its  numerous 
streams;  that  the  roads  may  be  bought  of  indi- 
viduals and  made  free  that  guides  may  be 
paid  a  salary,  the  same  as  the  guardian  of  the 
valley;  that  the  hotel  accommodation  shall  be 
such  that  tourists  or  invalids  may  remain  any 
length   of    lime    they    may    choose,    instead    of 


GOING    INTO    YOSEM1TE    VALLEY.  121 

being  rushed  in  and  out  of  the  valley  as  if  the 
object  was  to  pick  their  pockets  and  let  them  go. 
A.  person  going  from  San  Francisco  into  the 
valley  needs  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollars; 
it  may  not  take  more  than  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five,  but  the  first  mentioned  is  the  least 
one  should  think  of  doing  the  valley  with  and 
stay  a  week  or  ten  days.  It  consumes  a  whole 
day  to  visit  any  one  point  of  interest  in  this 
valley  of  tear.-  and  trickling  water-falls.  This 
chapter  is  written  upon  going  in  by  the  Coulter- 
vilie  route.  We  pass  through  several  miles  of 
wheat  fields  and  much  fine  country  under  culti- 
vation, and  cross  the  swollen  river  Merced  by  a 
ferry.  The  first  place  for  dinner  after  leaving 
the  town  of  Merced,  is  Lebryghts,  a  pleasant 
home  where  the  climbing  roses  blossom  by  the 
door,  and  we  are  treated  to  a  bountiful  dinner 
at  the  price  of  fifty  cents.  Most  person-  can 
digest  bnt  indifferently  when  traveling  rapidly 
over  these  roads  in  a  public  conveyance.  The 
exercise  is  too  violent  for  successful  assimula- 
and  a  system  of  fasting  is  at  once  imposed 
upon  one.   .Some  invalid  food  can  be  used   to 


122  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

advantage,  such  as  Imperial  grannum,  rice,  or 
corn  starch,  something  easily  digested;  for  with 
many  a  regular  sea-sickness  prevails,  and  still  if 
is  wonderful  what  delicate  persons  can  endure  in 
this  mountain  air.  Ff  one  is  out  of  doors  much 
it  is  almost  impossible  to  be  troubled  with 
illness.  Many  persons  visit  this  valley  with 
their  own  conveyances  and  camp  out  for  wee!. 
It  is  a  nice  way  to  do  providing  one  gets  help  to 
perform  the  physical  drudgery  of  camp  life,  for 
there  is  business  enough  to  give  a  tourist  all  the 
exercise  he  will  desire  to  take  in  "doing"  the 
valley.  In  the  afternoon  we  reach  Coulterville, 
an  interesting  mountain  town  of  abont  fifteen 
hundred  inhabitants.  The  style  of  architecture 
attracted  much  attention  in  this  place,  the  build- 
ings being  nearly  all  constructed  with  the  low 
broad  gable  roof.  The  material  varying  from 
stone,  brick,  wood,  and  adobe.  The  hotel,  set  in  a 
side  hill  and  crowned  with  a  cupola  of  green  lattice 
work,  making  it  appear  like  an  amateur  picture 
in  water-colors.  Here  we  stop  but  ten  minn 
and  a  bey  comes  with  a  box  of  tarantula  nests 
for  the  edification  of  tourists.     Theee  nests  are 


GOING    INTO    Y08EMITE    VALLEY"  123 

sold  for  fifty  cents  a  piece,  and  are  indeed  a 
curiosity.  They  are  constructed  in  a  hole  in  the 
ground,  upon  the  sunny  side  of  some  barren 
hill  in  a  mountain  range.  These  perforations 
occur  as  frequently  as  holes  in  a  pepper-box 
cover.  The  nest  i^  composed  of  adobe  soil,  being 
about  four  inches  in  length  and  one  in  diameter, 
the  outer  wall  of  the  Little  house  having  a  wind- 
ing crease  like  a  miniature  tower  of  Babel.  The 
entrance  to  the  nest  is  a  kind  of  trap-door  with 
hinge;-,  and  a  way  to  fasten  it  on  tic  inside.  A 
little  dot  marks  the  place  for  the  latch-string,  so 
that  the  tarantula  nerd  not  go  blundering  around 
to  find  the  key-hole.  The  inside  of  this  wonder- 
ful structure  is  lined  with  a  beautiful  material 
unknown  to  the  world  of  commerce,  but  resem- 
bling the  short  delicate  fur  of  the  white  mouse. 
The  tarantula  himself  is  an  ugly  looking  crea- 
ture, notwithstanding  his  architectural  inge- 
nuity, lie  belongs  to  the  spider  family,  in  fact 
is  a  kind  of  grandfather  spider.  His  body  is  as 
large  as  a  robin's  egg,  some  are  larger,  with  legs 
ami  arms  to  correspond,  and  short  black  hair, 
upright   all    over   both    body   and    legs. 


124  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

This  creature  makes  a  web  like  other  spiders,  or 
may  he  contracts  with  a  smaller  specimen  of  the 
spider  race  to  weave  for  him.  as  each  nest  has  a 
covering  like  mosquito  bar  veil,  or  wire  door,  to 
prevent  foreign  substances  from  falling  into  the 
top  <>t"  his  nest,  which  stands  slantwise  upon  the 
side-hill.  This  web  is  made  large  enough  to 
admit  the  creature  at  the  sides  without  tearing 
it.  and  may  serve  the  double  purpose  of  a  net  to 
ensnare  flies  for  food.  The  tarantula  likes  a 
warm  climate;  in  comfortable  cool  weather  he  is 
seldom  seen  upon  the  promenade,  spending  most 
of  his  time  in  his  study.  AVhen  tourists  desire 
to  see  one,  they  take  a  pitcher  of  cold  water  and 
pour  it  through  the  net-work  at  the  opening, 
h  id  the  pompous  looking  creature  will  appear  as 
promptly  as  some  corpulent  old  gentleman  who 
had  been  disturbed  by  the  rudeness  of  malicious 
little  boys  jerking  the  door-bell  while  he  was 
raking  his  after-dinner  nap.  The  tarantula  is 
no  coward,  but  with  his  fussy  motion,  demands 
an  explanation  as  much  as  if  he  were  an  injured, 
individual  and  could  speak.  These  creatures  are 
frequently  called  from  their  retreats,  lured  into 


GOING    INTO    YOSEMITE    VALLEY.  125 

an  open  mouth  bottle  and  preserved  in  alcohol 
as  a  curiosity.  Fighting  tarantulas  is  quite  a 
pastime  with  some  tourists;  two  or  three  of  them 
are  placed  in  close  quarters  and  they  will  bite 
one  another  until  both  die  of  poison.  The  grati- 
fication of  this  amusement  lies  in  the  fact  that 
they  destroy  each  other.  For  a  general  thing 
their  bite  is  little  more  thought  of  than  the 
sting  of  a  wasp,  but  persons  in  this  State  have 
been  poisoned  to  death  by  their  venom. 

Whisky  is  the  antidote  ;  perhaps  this  is  the 
reason  that  its  bite  is  not  feared  much  by  the 
re>i  dents,  a  large  proportion  of  the  popula- 
tion being  in  a  perpetual  state  to  resist  the  bite 
of  spiders  or  reptiles.  We  leave  Coulterville 
thinking  it  a  pretty  quiet  place;  nice  as  a  resort 
tor  invalids  needing  a  change  of  air.  As  we 
ascend  the  mountains  we  catch  views  of  snow 
capped  peaks  and  occasionally  see  rocks  near  at 
hand,  having  such  a  mixture  of  white  quartz, 
that  we  are  led  to  think  that  they  are  patches  of 
snow  also.  As  night  approaches,  the  mountains 
in  the  distance  suggest  to  the  imagination  the 
far  off  promised  land.     The  sun   sinking  upon 


126  OVKK   THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

the  snow  clad  peaks,  the  tinted  clouds,  the  myste- 
rious points  and  depressions- may  pass  for  the 
spires  and  domes  of  our  Father's  house  where 
there  are  many  mansions.  As  old  Sol  sinks  to 
rest  the  whole  scene  becomes  so  glorified  one 
can  easily  imagine  the  unfolding  of  the  pearl v 
gates  of  Paradise;  still,  a  purple  atmosphere  veils 
this  better  land,  covering  it  with  mystery  that 
hope  sighs  to  penetrate,  and  this  keeps  urging 
on.  In  a  certain  altitude,  the  pretty  manzanita 
shrub  appears  with  its  smooth  brown  bark  and 
rich  foliage.  The  fruit,  a  berry  about  the  size 
of  large  pea  and  shaped  exactly  like  an  apple, 
is  often  called  the  manzanita  apple.  The  vege- 
tation is  much  the  same  upon  this  route  as  upon 
that  of  the  Mariposa.  The  same  growth  appear- 
ing at  certain  altitudes.  The  first  night  out  we 
stop  at  a  place  called  Dudley's  Mills,  an  oasis  in 
the  rugged  mountain,  abounding  in  fruitful 
greenness,  a  little  haven  given  for  the  rest  of 
weary  tourists.  It  was  some  such  place  where 
Bunyan's  Christian  Pilgrim  rested  and  in  liis 
sleep  let  fall  his  diploma,  and  when  he  awoke 
refreshed  became  so  infatuated  with  the  premises 


GOING    INTO    Y08EM1TE    VALLEY.  127 

that  be  wandered  off  forgetting  his  roll,  leaving 
it  lying  in  the  bower  where  he  rested.  Now  a 
tonrist  would  be  in  a  similar  dilema  it'  he  should 
fall  asleep  at  Dudley's  and  loose  his  ticket  to  the 
Yosemite  Valley,  and  after  leaving  the  next 
morning  when  the  grass  was  sparkling  with  dew, 
be  obliged  to  retrace  his  steps  at  noonday,  and 
wait  for  the  next  tri-weekly  stage  ;  he  would 
then  be  just  in  the  right  frame  of  mind  to  sym- 
pathize with  Bunyan's  Christian  Pilgrim,  poor 
fellow.  Upon  the  Coulterville  route  we  get  the 
very  best  specimens  of  California  hotel  keeping. 
The  food  is  the  best  possible  quality,  prepared 
and  served  by  an  intelligent  housewife;  no  better 
recommendation  needed.  The  hotels  throughout 
thi>  State  generally,  are  an  abomination;  only  to 
be  tolerated  from  the  most  extreme  necessity. 
I  do  not  know  of  another  business  fraud  so  sys- 
tematized, unless  it  is  the  liquor  business,  for  all 
liquor.-  are  tampered  with  until  only  fit  for 
what  they  are  doing,  killing  men. 

It  is  a  subject  of  much  regret  among  the  trav- 
eling public,  that  the  question  of  the  quality  of 
food   served  to  the  unfortunate  traveler  cannot 


128  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

be  made  a  matter  of  special  legislation.  A  race 
of  men  must  deteriorate  when  fed  upon  refuse 
food,  only  fit  for  swine.  I  sincerely  believe  that 
this  method  of  cooking  is  half  the  cause  of  there 
being  so  much  intemperance  in  this  State.  I 
know  that  the  old  Washingtonians  used  to  blame 
women  who  were  poor  or  careless  cooks,  for  the 
drunkenness  of  their  husbands,  and  I  think  the 
responsibility  can  with  safety  he  shifted  upon 
the  hotels  in  this  case.  A  returning  foreign 
tourist  stopping  for  the  night  at  Dudley's,  found 
that  in  making  change  he  had  taken  five  or  six 
one  cent  pieces  for  the  gold  coin  two  dollars  and 
fifty  cents.  I  comforted  him  by  saying  that  I 
was  ashamed  of  some  classes  of  my  countrymen, 
those  who  would  resort  to  such  shabbiness  ;  that 
he  must  educate  his  eyes  to  the  specie  and  look 
sharp  for  one  cent  upon  every  piece  in  the  future. 
The  gentleman  appeared  to  be  a  man  of  means, 
as  he  did  not  lay  it  to  heart  very  heavily,  only 
looked  thoughtful  as  if  trying  to  reconnoiter 
memory  in  order  if  possible  to  recollect  when  and 
by  whom  this  fraud  could  have  been  practiced 
so  successfully. 


GOING     [NTO    YOSEMITE    VALLEY.  129 

The  fields  at  Dudley's  are  irrigated,  and  the 
birds  have  found  that  it  is  a  beautiful  home  in  the 
forest  for  them,  and  they  make  it  lively  with 
their  music.  During  our  forenoon  ride  we  came 
to  the  Bower  Cave  ;  this  is  situated  bnt  a  short 
distance  from  the  main  road,  and  is  visited  while 
the  horses  drink.  A  young  girl  conducted  lis 
to  the  cave  and  opened  a  rude  door  fastened  by 
lock  and  key.  We  descended  a  flight  of  stairs 
long  enough  for  two  stories  of  an  ordinary  resi- 
dence, and  find  ourselves  in  an  amphitheater  of 
most  wonderful  pleasing  appearance;  being  one 
hundred  feet  long  and  seventy-five  feet  wide. 
The  walls  formed  of  great  rocky  bowlders  com- 
ing nearly  together  at  the  top,  and  three  large 
trees,  three  and  a  half  feet  in  diameter,  growing 
in  the  cave,  just  a  nice  distance  apart,  the  boughs 
coming  together  at  the  top,  forming  a  complete 
shade  like  green  blinds  to  a  sky  light,  and  soft- 
ening the  light  in  consequence.  The  floor  of 
the  cave  is  smooth  hard  soil,  ornamented  with 
little  patches  of  green  moss,  answering  as  rugs 
placed  about  upon  bare  floors.  Upon  one  side 
of  the  cave  is  a  pond  of  water,  occupying  not 
9 


130  OVJfifi    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

more  than  one-fourth  or  one-fifth  of  the  space. 
This  water  is  deep,  clear  as  crystal,  very  cold 
and  having  a  perpendicular  wall  of  two  feet,  as 
it  is  two  feet  lower  than  the  flour  of  the  cave  ; 
it  is  enclosed  with  a  paling  to  prevent  accident, 
and  a  small  boat  is  furnished  for  fishing  purposes, 
as  it  abounds  in  these  beautiful  mountain  trout. 
At  one  end  of  the  pond  nature  has  attempted  to 
form  a  stairway  leading  to  the  galleries.  The 
arches  overhead  are  complete,  and  the  natural 
way  may  have  answered  for  the  original  design, 
but  the  stairs  have  been  finished  by  the  hand  of 
man,  and  we  ascend  to  pass  through  a  spacious 
hall  to  dark  side  rooms  twenty  feet  deep,  and 
many  other  black  holes  we  did  not  care  to  pene- 
trate. These  places  have  all  been  visited,  per- 
haps by  wild  beasts,  as  the  openings  were  worn 
as  if  by  something  sliding  upon  them. 

T  was  enjoying,  and  wondering  if  nature  fitted 
up  these  mansions  on  purpose  for  her  dusky  sons 
and  daughters,  and  why  such  houses  did  not 
occur  oftener,  and  where  some  poor  homeless, 
houseless  wanderers  could  have  the  benefit, 
instead  of  taking  up  with  the  teiribie   hotels  in 


GOING    TNTO    YOSEMITE   VArXET  131 

this  State;  and  when  I  aroused  from  these  rever- 
ies, found  myself  alone  with  the  little  lady  guide; 
all  the  tourists  had  fled  and  when  we  reached  the 
top  of  the  steps  there  was  not  one  in  sight. 
This  is  an  objection  to  traveling  with  a  public 
conveyance  for  pleasure  or  culture.  Most  per- 
sons visiting  those  places,  go  for  the  simple  sake 
of  going,  without  the  least  idea  of  ever  becom- 
ing cultivated  in  scenery  or  intelligently  benefit- 
ted by  travel.  When  I  reached  the  road,  the  stages 
were  waiting,  the  drivers  with  uplifted  lash  ready 
to  be  off,  as  if  our  lives  depended  upon  getting 
out  of  this  vicinity  with  all  possible  speed.  I 
was  astonished,  at  the  same  time  provoked,  to 
hear  the  comments  of  tourists  upon  this  beauti- 
ful curiosity.  All  would  say  at  least,  that  it  was 
nice;  some  were  annoyed  at  being  charged  fifty- 
cents  upon  our  return,  others  that  the  stage  had 
lost  that  much  time,  and  some  that  the  path  over 
which  we  went  was  so  rough  with  stones. 
Verily,  man  is  a  grumbling  animal;  it  is  almost 
a  wonder  that  he  ever  learned  to  articulate  in 
a.  perfect  language,  when  growling  might  have 
served  his  purpose  quite  as  well.    To  an  educated 


132  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

cavern  tourist,  I  suppose  that  this  cave  would 
be  a  very  small  thing,  but  to  me  who  have  never 
visited  many  caves,  it  is  wonderful  and  beautiful, 
and  I  shall  hereafter  make  a  point  of  visiting 
all  caves  anywhere  within  the  range  of  my  travels. 
This  day  at  noon  we  stop  at  a  place  called  Hazel 
Green.  We  find  an  excellent  lunch  house,  kept 
during  summer  by  James  Halstead,  a  very  pleas- 
ant and  obliging  host.  In  this  remote  mountain 
forest,  we  pay  one  dollar  for  lunch  and  think  it 
not  one  cent  too  much  for  value  received. 

Leaving  this  point  we  descend  the  mountain 
until  we  reach  the  Yosemite.  The  horses  pass 
rapidly  around  these  mountain  curves,  bringing 
new  scenes  and  fresh  pictures  in  every  turn  ; 
many  water  falls  appear  which  lend  a  charming 
variety  to  the  scene,  although  considered  too 
insignificant  to  have  a  name  when  compared  to 
the  legitimate  falls  of  the  real  Yosemite.  As  we 
near  the  end  of  the  second  day  from  Merced, 
the  third  from  San  Francisco,  we  hear  the  roar 
of  the  rushing:  Merced  river,  and  soon  find  our- 
selves  on  an  elevation  of  about  three  or  four 
thousand    feet   above  a  yawning   precipice,  and 


GOING    INTO    YOSEMTTE    VALLEY.  133 

looking  timidly  down,  down,  to  get  a  glimpse  of 
a  beautiful  stream  of  the  most  delicate  shade  of 
green  when  placid,  and  white  as  snow  when 
broken  into  dancing  cascades  by  rocky  obstruc- 
tions. At  this  point  the  great  Yosemite  Valley 
first  breaks  upon  the  vision,  with  a  realizing 
sense  of  its  grandeur.  Here  the  rocks  lift  their 
towering  heads  so  loftily  to  the  sky,  and  the  preci- 
pices are  so  fearfully  deep,  that  mighty  streams 
all  turn  to  tears  when  rushing  by,  because  of  tak- 
ing such  a  leap.  The  great  mass  of  clean,  clearly 
cut  bowlders  lying  along  the  wall  of  the  valley, 
broken  by  their  fall  into  all  conceivable  shapes, 
resembling  a  fleet  of  steam  ships  driven  by  the 
storm  upon  some  rocky  strand  in  the  greatest 
possible  confusion.  Much  of  this  stone  is  the 
same  as  the  celebrated  Lockport  granite.  The 
figures  varying  with  clouds  of  black  running 
through  the  light  colored  granite,  some  spotted 
in  large  patterns,  and  some  figured  almost  like 
print.  These  are  frequently  called  the  calico 
rocks,  and  if  accessible  would  make  the  most 
beautiful  and  substantial  building  material  in 
the  world.     The    road    is    blasted    through    this 


134 


OVER    THE    PURPLE    Hi  LI. 


rocky  debris  and  it  takes  the  most  watchful 
diligence  to  keep  the  thoroughfare  clear  from 
obstructions. 


WHAT  1  SAW  AND  HEARD  IN  THE 
VALLEY. 

TPON  entering  Yoseraite  Valley  it  is  quite 
J  natural  to  think  about  how  this  wonderful 
formation  was  wrought  out.  1  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  top  of  a  range  of  mountains 
about  fifteen  miles  long  and  two  or  three  in 
width  had  fallen  in,  to  fill  some  subterraneous 
vacuum.  The  fact  that  there  is  so  little  debris 
upon  the  ground  shows  that  all  the  matter  was 
taken  down  at  one  slide,  leaving  walls  fearfully 
perpendicular,  four  thousand  feet  high  upon  an 
average.  Then  in  all  probability  the  valley  filled 
with  water,  and  was  the  cause  of  these  bottomless 
little  lakes  we  hear  of  among  the  mountains. 
The  soil  is  very  like  beaten  sand  —  heavy  and 
coarse — making  locomotion  exceedingly  difficult 
for  both  man  and  beast.  There  are  other  evi- 
(135) 


136  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

dences  in  this  valley  of  its  having  been  once  the 
bed  of  a  lake.  Upon  reading  Professor  Whit- 
ney's work  upon  the  Yosemite  and  Sierras,  I  find 
that  his  theories  and  suppositions  are  the  same. 
Waterfalls  are  formed  frequently  throughout  the 
valley  by  the  melting  snows  running  in  rivulets, 
seeking  one  common  outlet;  and  the  beautiful 
Merced  winds  its  way  upon  one  side  and  the 
other  of  the  enclosure,  as  if  to  impartially  dis- 
pense its  liquid  blessings  and  accommodate  itself 
to  the  rocky  obstruction  and  sympathizing  water- 
fall. It  will  be  delightful  when  rustic  bridges 
have  been  built  across  these  twinkling,  pebbly 
tributaries.  The  whole  valley  is  densely  shaded 
^except  now  and  then  small  openings)  with  the 
variety  of  timber  growing  in  this  altitude  —  the 
pines,  spruce,  cedar,  and  balm  of  Gilead  or  cot- 
ton wood  —  the  growth  of  underwood  consisting 
of  manzanita,  dogwood  and  the  usual  mountain 
chaparral.  The  fragrant  azalea,  the  thimble 
berry  and  spicy  colt's  foot  form  the  first  covering 
for  the  soil.  The  pines  are  models  of  perfection, 
and  uonld  make  as  fine  lumber  as  any  timber 
upon   earth.      1    suppose  il  will  shock  lovers  of 


WHAT    I    SAW    AND    HEARD.  137 

scenery,  and  sound  sacrelegious,  to  hear  these 
park-like  forests  and  grand  old  trees  mentioned 
in  a  practical  sense.  This  place  should  be  looked 
upon  as  sacred,  being  a  glorious  old  curiosity 
shop,  donated  by  the  General  Government  and 
adopted  by  the  State  as  a  ward  for  the  benefit 
and  cultivation  of  the  traveling  public  through 
all  coming  time. 

A  person  cannot  appreciate  the  magnitude  of 
these  walls  without  lingering  near  thern  for  some 
time,  and  then  they  must  be  carefully,  studiously 
compared  with  all  the  pinnacles  and  elevations 
one  has  ever  climbed.  I  remember  to  have 
thought  a  hundred  and  seven  feet  pretty  well  up 
from  the  ground,  when  climbing  to  the  tower  of 
a  village  water  tank;  but  to  compare  this  height 
with  three  or  four  thousand  feet  perpendicular 
is  rather  more  than  one  can  comprehend  with  the 
eye  when  it  comes  to  altitude.  These  walls  ^o 
overshadow  things  that  the  valley  seems  the  cool- 
est, quietest  place  of  resort  in  all  the  world. 
Distance  is  obscured  by  the  height  of  the  sur- 
roundings. If  one  attempts  to  walk  to  an  object 
apparently  close  at  hand,  he  will  be  astonished  at 


138  OVER    THE   PURPLE   HILLS. 

the  space  annihilated  before  the  point  is  gained. 
Glacier  Point  gives  the  finest  view  to  be  obtained 
in  the  whole  valley.  An  entire  day  will  be  con- 
sumed in  reaching  it,  but  it  is  well  worth  the 
time  and  pains.  From  this  height  —  four  thou- 
sand feet — Mirror  Lake  is  seen  to  reflect  the 
surrounding  mountains  as  plainly  as  a  looking- 
glass  will  reflect  the  human  form.  All  the  prin- 
ciple points  of  interest  can  be  seen  from  this 
place,  and  the  immense  height  fills  one  with  awe 
and  a  kind  of  delightful  terror. 

After  reaching  the  valley,  the  next  thing  is  to 
look  for  a  place  where  one  is  to  breakfast,  have 
lunch  put  up,  dine  and  sleep  after  the  day's 
labor  is  over,  for  nothing  in  this  world  is  worth 
having  for  which  we  do  not  work,  and  the  Yose- 
mite  trip  is  no  exception  to  this  rule.  Lidig's  is 
the  best  place  in  the  line  of  hotels.  Mrs.  L. 
attends  to  the  cooking  in  person;  the  results  are 
that  the  food  is  well  cooked  and  intelligently 
served.  There  is  not  the  variety  to  be  obtained 
here  us  in  places  more  accessible  to  market. 
After  traveling  a  few  months  in  California  a 
person  is  Liable  to  think  less  of  variety  and  more 


WHAT   I    SAW    AND    HEARD.  139 

of  quality.  At  this  place  the  beds  are  cleanly 
and  wholesome,  although  consisting  of  pulu 
mattresses  placed  upon  slat  bedsteads.  This 
house  stands  in  the  shadow  of  Sentinel  Rock, 
and  faces  the  great  Yosemite  Fall;  is  surrounded 
with  porches,  making  a  pleasant  place-  to  sit  and 
contemplate  the  magnificence  of  the  commanding 
scenery.  At  this  place  there  are  several  beautiful 
but  sadly  neglected  children,  who  act  as  a  kind 
of  scare-crow  —  frightening  tourists  off  to  some 
other  parts,  who  repent  upon  learning  the  real 
nature  of  the  place,  beholding  the  spotless  floors, 
and  the  actual  purity  of  the  linen  and  things  in 
general. 

The  horses  used  by  the  tourist  upon  the  trail 
form  a  peculiar  feature  in  the  business  of  Yose- 
mite life.  After  a  day's  work  these  creatures  are 
dismounted  at  any  of  the  hotels  and  turned  loose. 
They  proceed  at  once,  without  telling,  to  the 
stables  adjoining  and  a  large  corral,  where  they 
are  unsaddled;  then  they  trot  off  a  mile  or  two, 
perhaps  three,  to  a  pasture,  to  rest  and  feed  for 
the  coming  day's  labor,  always  in  droves  of  from 
a  dozen   to  fiftv.     The  next  morning  the  guides 


140  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

hunt  them,  and  they  are  driven  up  like  a  drove 
of  cattle,  some  one  of  the  number  wearing  a  dis- 
graceful old  cow  bell.  They  tramp  to  the  stables 
like  sheep  to  slaughter,  are  placed  in  the  corral, 
taken  out  and  saddled  in  squads,  as  they  are 
needed,  sometimes  standing  for  hours  waiting 
the  pleasure  of  creation's  lord.  These  horses  are 
treated  like  slaves,  having  neither  time  nor 
opportunity  to  get  sufficient  food  or  rest  to  fully 
recuperate  them  from  the  previous  day's  exertions. 
The  consequences  are  that  they  are  as  spiritless 
as  so  many  sheep.  These  creatures  are  raised  in 
droves  upon  the  San  Joaquin  plains,  all  bearing 
the  brand  of  the  owner.  I  was  horrified  to  learn 
that  when  the  mothers  are  needed  for  work  the 
colts  are  given  away  or  knocked  in  the  head. 
Horses  are  reared  in  this  climate  with  so  little 
trouble  and  expense,  that  strangers  are  astonished 
at  the  cheapness  with  which  they  are  held. 
Good  serviceable  creatures  can  be  had  all  the  way 
from  fifty  cents  to  fifty  dollars.  The  companies 
owning  the  horses  in  the  valley  have  a  kind  of 
asylum  for  them,  where  they  are  permitted  to 
retire  when  too  much  exhausted  to  continue  upon 


WHAT    I    SAW    AND    HEARD.  141 

the  trail.  Here  in  this  green  meadow  some  of 
them  recuperate,  and  some  take  a  journey  to  the 
better  land,  where  it  is  to  he  hoped  that  men 
will  not  desire  to  enrich  themselves  at  the  expense 
of  the  animal  comfort  of  any  of  God's  creatures. 
Somehow  in  my  heart  I  cannot  but  feel  that  the 
man  or  class  of  men  who  will  totally  disregard 
the  common  wants  and  the  dignity  of  any  animal 
will  hardly  manifest  the  purest  humanity  and 
manhood  toward  his  own  kind. 

There  are  several  hotels  in  the  Yosemite 
Valley,  a  bath  house,  picture  gallery,  a  place 
where  the  curiosities  in  wood  work  are  to  be 
obtained,  a  seed  store,  dry  goods  store,  laundry 
and  meat  market.  There  is  at  present  no  resi- 
dent physician,  but  likely  there  will  be  those  who 
will  at  least  take  up  a  temporary  abode  by  the 
time  of  another  season  for  tourists.  The  bath 
house  called  the  Cosmopolitan  is  kept  by  John 
C.  Smith,  and  I  will  venture  to  say  that  there  is 
nothing  in  this  line  in  the  State  that  is  as  well 
gotten  up  or  as  well  kept.  I  wish  there  were 
more  of  the  same  race  of  John  Smiths  to  take 
charge  of  a  few  of  the  hotels  in  this  country. 


142  OVElt    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

The  Great  Register  is  found  here,  a  book  some- 
thing like  the  one  described  by  John  the  Reve- 
lator,  which  had  so  many  seals  —  this  having  the 
names  of  the  different  States,  whereof  the  inhabi- 
tants upon  visiting  the  Yosemite  can  register 
thereof,  In  this  establishment  there  are  reading 
rooms,  billiard  tables,  croquet  grounds  —  amuse- 
ment for  both  sexes  —  and  walks  with  flowers 
kept  with  the  utmost  care  and  scrupulous  neat- 
ness. ]^ear  this  elegant  establishment  is  the 
house  of  Adolph  Sinning,  a  skillful  worker  in 
wood.  Mr.  Sinning  has  made  a  chess  table  of 
two  dozen  different  kinds  of  wood  and  two  thou- 
sand pieces.  This  beautiful  piece  of  workman- 
ship was  on  exhibition  at  the  city  of  Philadelphia 
during  the  Centennial.  Pretty  little  cabinets, 
canes  and  sleeve  buttons  are  manufactured  from 
the  timber  grown  in  Yosemite  Valley..  This 
gentleman  is  a  German,  of  most  pleasing  presence 
and  manner,  and  does  all  this  tine  work  entirely 
alone.  He  says  that  as  a  mechanic  he  has  great 
respect  for  the  American,  and  a  due  regard  for 
his  modes  of  procedure;  but  that  the  American 
rushes    things  so   terribly  that   he  cannot  work 


WHAT   I    SAW    AND    HEARD.  143 

with  him,  and  can  only  succeed  by  doing  things 
m  his  own  quiet  way.  He  showed  me  a  cane 
with  a  setting  of  stone  or  glass  in  the  side  a  little 
larger  than  a  pin  head.  Upon  placing  this  to 
the  eye  a  beautiful  stereoscopic  view  of  the 
Yosemite  Fall  spread  out  before  the  astonished 
gaze. 

There  is  a  seed  store  kept  next  door  by  Henry 
Segman,  where  the  seed  of  the  Sequoys  Gigan- 
tits,  or  Big  Tree,  is  kept  for  sale,  aside  from  many 
other  kinds  of  vegetable  growths  to  be  found  in 
the  valley.  The  big  trees  flourish  finely  in  any 
of  the  snowy  latitudes  where  the  frost  is  not  too 
severe.  In  England  it  is  said  that  they  shoot  up 
two  feet  in  one  season,  having  a  very  vigorous 
growth.  The  oily  seed  of  the  balsam  of  fir  is 
collected  in  considerable  amnti ties,  and  sold  fur 
six  dollars  per  poundc  The  picture  gallery  ia 
kept  by  J.  J.  Rieley.  I  found  an  ugly  looking 
lot  of  samples  hanging  in  frames  about  the  valley, 
and  when  I  saw  his  real  pictures  inquired  how  it 
was  that  such  bad  samples  were  put  out  for  an 
advertisement.  He  said  that  the  good  pictures 
would  all  be  stolen  as  fast  as  he  could  replace 


144  OVER    THE    PURPLE   HILLS. 

them.  I  wondered  at  the  cupidity  of  any 
one  coming  here  who  would  steal  a  picture,  let 
it  be  ever  so  tempting,  when  they  could  be 
obtained/lit  the  price  of  twenty-five  and  fifty 
cents./There  is  a  post  and  telegraph  office  and 
Wells  &  Fargo's  express.  The  people  one  seet±  and 
hears  in  these  watering  places  form  a  goodly 
feature  in  the  objects  of  travel.  At  present  the 
hotels  of  the  Yosemite  are  of  bandbox  order — - 
cioth  and  paper,  to  be  sure,  answering  all  the 
immediate  needs  of  this  indulgent  climate,  but 
rather  generous  in  the  communication  of  sound. 
My  first  morning  dreams  were  disturbed  by  the 
wail  of  some  venerable  spinster  who  had  lost  her 
wash-rag.  The  chambermaid  was  rallied  at  five 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  the  din  and  search 
kept,  up  with  unceasing  diligence  for  one  hour. 
During  this  time  I  had  heard  the  word  wash -rag 
pronounced  so  frequently,  that  this,  with  the 
fatigue  of  travel,  threw  me  into  a  laughing  hys- 
teric. There  was  something  so  utterly  ridiculous 
in  hearing  the  word  pronounced  so  repeatedly, 
and  the  absurdity  of  creating  a  disturbance  for  so 
small   a  matter,  that  I  came  near  having  what 


THE  GREAT  YOSEMITE  FALLS. 


WHAT    I    SAW    AM)    HEARD.  J  45 

used  to  be  known  as  a  "  conniption  "  fit.     In  the 

meantime  the  poor  little  chambermaid  Mas 
vibrating  between  smiles  and  tears  mentally,  and 
between  my  room,  the  other  room  and  the  porch 
personally j  all  the  time  wondering  what  could 
have  become  of  the  unfortunate  woman's  wash- 
rag.  The  smile-  were  in  sympathy  with  my 
laughing  mood,  the  tears  the  cruel  sting  of  unjust 
accusation,  and  the  bodily  movements  an  uneasy 
desire  to  have  the  stage  come  and  carry  off  the 
hapless  tourist.  The  stage  came  at  last,  and  the 
woman  was  torn  from  the  scenes  where  she  had 
lost  her  wash-rag  and  borne  reluctantly  away. 
The  last  sound  that  I  heard  from  her  retreating 
figure-head  was  the  wail  of  the  wash-rag.  In 
the  course  of  her  morning  work  the  chamber- 
maid went  into  the  room,  and  upon  emptying 
the  pitcher  gave  a  faint  scream,  and  called  me  to 
come  and  behold  the  missing  wash-rag.  "  Stars 
and  stripes!"  I  exclaimed,  "where  did  you  find 
it?"  "  In  the  pitcher,"'  she  answered.  It  was  a 
piece  of  tufted  toweling  about  a  foot  square,  and 
striped  with  red,  and  when  it  came  sliding  out 
of  the  pitcher  the  girl  imagined  pink  snakes, 
10 


146  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

curiosities  of  tourists,  and  several  things  before 
the  real  truth  flashed  upon  her.  This  mystery 
was  solved;  "but,"  said  the  girl,  "I  know  that 
lady  will  think  until  the  day  of  judgment  that  I 
took  her  wash-rag,  unless  by  some  accident  she 
shall  hear  of  this.''  I  lost  a  package  of  thread, 
of  spools  of  cotton  and  silk,  upon  this  same  route 
—  not  at  this  house  —  enough  to  have  lasted  me 
for  ten  years;  and  I  am  sure  that  with  a  warrant 
I  could  find  them  now,  but  I  would  rather  lose 
them  than  run  the  risk  of  placing  an  innocent 
person  under  unjust  suspicion;  besides,  there  are 
classes  of  human  beings  whose  chances  to  com- 
pete with  others  for  a  livelihood  have  been  so 
cramped  and  limited,  that  they  think  that  they 
must  steal  in  order  to  get  even,  and  it  is  not  in 
my  heart  to  blame  them.  At  the  same  time  I 
would  most  assuredly  encourage  the  most  rigor- 
ous regard  for  the  property  of  others,  as  stealing 
is  closely  allied  to  the  dreadful  crime  of  murder. 
One  morning  I  heard  a  young  girl  say,  in  a 
whining  voice,  that  she  did  not  want  to  make  the 
trip  on  horseback  necessary  to  do  the  valley, 
adding  that  she  did  not  see  what  people  wanted 


WHAT   I    SAW    AND    HEARD.  147 

to  go  scrambling  over  those  rough  trails  for.  I 
am  afraid;  should  think  people  could  come  here 
and  enjoy  this  beautiful  scenery  in  quiet.  But 
papa  had  a  horse  brought,  and  insisted  with  a 
few  firm  but  gentle  words,  as  if  accustomed  to 
being  obeyed ;  and  every  evening  when  this  dainty 
little  miss  returned,  face  flushed  with  exercise, 
and  so  stiff  from  sitting  upon  the  horse  that  she 
could  scarcely  step,  she  would  call  out  to  those 
whom  she  greeted  at  the  hotel,  "  O,  I  a?n  so  glad 
that  I  went;  it  was  so  beautiful!"  Papa  evi- 
dently had  no  idea  of  going  to  the  trouble  and 
expense  of  bringing  her  to  this  valley,  have  her 
lose  her  interest,  and  go  tamely  home  without 
seeing  anything.  Upon  another  occasion  a  very 
pretty,  well  dressed  family  came  for  a  few  days, 
and  the  wife  seemed  to  be  parsimonious.  Each 
morning  she  had  something  to  say  about  the 
extravagance  of  the  trip.  The  husband  would 
answer,  It  is  a  pity,  with  such  an  income,  that 
we  cannot  spend  a  little  money  in  traveling  with- 
out such  a  to  do.  I  do  not  want  to  hear  another 
word;  not  another  word.  This  seemed  to  settle 
the  matter  for  another  day.     But  they  were  a 


148  OVER   THE    PURINE    HILL& 

very  unhappy  couple,  in  spite  of  their  income; 
and  the  children  seemed  to  catch  the  same  spirit 
—  were  constantly  teasing  one  another  and  quar- 
reling. 

When  you  visit  the  Yosemite  for  pleasure  and 
put  up  at  a  pasteboard  hotel,  bring  as  few  cares 
and  family  jars  as  you  can  well  get  along  with, 
and  above  all  keep  quiet  while  remaining.  Con- 
trasting this  scene,  there  was  a  middle  aged, 
corpulent  man  with  an  immense  wide  mouth, 
heavy  chin  and  narrow  forehead.  The  individ- 
ual evidently  had  a  daughter  with  him,  the  per- 
fact  counterpart  of  the  governor,  as  the  boys 
would  say,  and  in  their  party  were  two  or  three 
empty  headed  fops  seeking  the  old  man's  favor 
by  the  way  of  the  daughter's  moneyed  prospects. 
The  old  gentleman  condescendingly  took  it  upon 
himself  to  entertain  the  younger  members  of  the 
party  by  relating  stale  stories  in  the  most  pom- 
pous manner,  sometimes  getting  the  point  on  the 
wrong  end  of  the  anecdote,  while  the  chaps  made 
their  own  points  likely  by  laughing  in  a  very 
appreciative  manner,  perhaps  at  the  old  fellow's 
obtuseness  and  lack  of  intellectual  tact.     At  any 


WHAT    I    SAW    AND    HEARD.  149 

rate  the  scene  was  really  interesting  as  a  charac- 
teristic, even  to  those  not  at  all  in  the  plot. 
The  anxious  mamma  is  a  character  one  meets  in 
all  of  these  places  of  public  resort.  She  is 
known  by  the  manner  in  which  she  hurls  sharp- 
ened darts  at  any  interesting  female  who  should 
happen  to  stand  in  the  shadow  of  the  young 
or  old  man  that  she  has  chosen  to  marry  her 
Serephena  Ann.  Now,  T  detest,  above  all  the 
characters  that  I  ever  met,  the  anxious  mamma; 
and  there  is  nothing  which  man  can  say  that 
will  so  insult  my  womanhood  as  to  hear  him,  in 
his  vanity,  gloat  over  the  traps  and  snares  of 
this  class  of  female  slaves;  slaves  to  the  absurd 
customs  of  what  is  known  as  society.  I  know 
that  I  would  never  become  an  ambitious  mamma. 
If  I  had  twenty-seven  daughters,  and  their 
orders  of  intelligence  varied  from  the  finest 
first-class  literary  talents  down  to  that  of  the 
second-class  scrub,  I  would  fit  them  for  lives  of 
usefulness  to  themselves  and  to  society;  and 
teach  them  that  marriage  should  be  the  last 
subject  upon  earth  upon  which  to  spend  time 
and   thought,  even  though  it  be  the  first  thing 


150  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

perpetrated.  Men  do  not  appreciate  women 
that  they  can  pick  np  like  pebbles  upon  the 
strand,  nor  do  they  deserve  any  more  than  they 
get  in  the  way  of  appreciation,  because  of  their 
want  of  independence  and  dignity. 

On  account  of  the  crowded  state  of  the  hotel 
a  couple  of  gentlemen  were  obliged  to  room 
together,  hitherto  strangers  to  one  another.  One 
was  a  German- American,  of  good  practical  sense 
but  bad  English,  while  the  other  was,  1  think, 
an  Englishman.  The  following  dialogue  occurred 
while  they  were  preparing  a  toilet  for  break- 
fast: 

Englishman.  "  Well,  a  gentleman  is  a  gentle- 
man the  world  over,  and  I  have  no  objections  to 
rooming  with  a  gentleman.  I  do  not  care  if 
you  are  a  German  duke  or  general,  I  should  have 
no  objection." 

( 1  krman.  "  My  Got,  man !  I  am  just  as  goot  as 
any  duke  or  general,  and  I  earned  my  own 
money,  and  do  not  thank  Got,  man  nor  the 
other  member  of  the  trinity." 

E      "  My  house  was  founded  in  the  time  of 


WHAT    I    SAW    AND    HEARD.  151 

Queen  Elizabeth  (here  the  conversation  became 
inaudible). 

The  hotels  were  in  a  very  crowded  state,  and 
men  of  any  rank  took  what  wras  offered  them. 
This  was  better,  somewhat,  than  taking  a  blanket 
and  lying  under  a  tree  for  a  night's  rest. 

I  wondered  if  I  could  detect  this  scion  of 
nobility  at  the  breatfast  table.  I  looked  down 
the  rows  on  each  side;  sure  enough  he  was  there. 
A  careful  observer  could  have  picked  him  out 
from  among  ten  or  twenty  men  of  sense,  either 
of  whom  could  have  traced  their  ancestry  to  the 
hold  of  an  imigrant  ship,  and  their  line  to  a 
tarred  mark  upon  the  deck  better  appreciated  by 
our  forefathers  than  by  ourselves.  I  knew  him 
by  his  handsome  feminine  face  and  brainless 
cranium;  by  the  style  of  his  neck-tie,  shirt-front 
and  the  number  and  size  of  his  finger  rings; 
and  most  of  all  by  his  condescending  good 
nature  and  patronizing  smile.  Living  relic  of 
degenerate  greatness,  thought  T,  quoting  Pope: 

"  Go,  if  your  ancient  but  ignoble  blood 
Has  crept  through  ninnies  ever  since  the  flood. 
Go,  and  pretend  your  family  is  young, 
Nor  own  your  fathers  have  been  fools  so  long." 


152  OVER   THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

Many  celebrities  and  what  might  be  termed 
"  characters  "  come  to  this  valley  every  season. 
No  "  roughs,"  however,  have  as  yet  made  a 
rendezvous  of  this  earthly  paradise.  Here  I 
met  Sallie  Hart,  the  well  known  female  teacher's 
lobbiest,  of  this  State;  a  golden  haired  "  childy  " 
little  woman,  but  one  of  acknowledged  talent 
and  much  political  influence,  backed  in  all  her 
public  movements  by  the  wealth  and  talent  of 
the  suffragists  and  temperance  people  of  this 
State.  Also,  Mrs.  Lawrence,  a  conservative  but 
graceful  writer,  who  is  known  by  the  unpretend- 
ing nomde  plume,  "  Red  Riding  Hood.'" 

I  would  like  a  few  words  to  ministers  and 
their  families  who  come  to  visit  this  wonder  in 
nature.  That  in  these  days  of  Christian  popu- 
larity and  church  prosperity,  few  are  called  upon 
to  practice  much  self-denial  at  home,  and  when 
in  this  valley  it  is  an  excellent  time  to  exercise 
the  Christian  graces;  and  if  the  beds  are  not  so 
soft  as  those  you  have  been  accustomed  to,  just 
thing  of  the  hymn,  "Shall  I  be  carried  to  the 
skies  on  flowery  beds  of  ease,"  etc.,  and  if  you 
are  called  upon  to  eat  grass -hoppers  and  fresh 


WHAT    I    SAW    AND    HEARD.  153 

bread,  think  of  an  apostle  whose  meat  was 
locusts  and  wild  honey;  and  that  the  beloved 
founder  of  Christianity  had  not  a  better  place 
to  lay  his  holy  head  than  under  the  grateful 
shade  of  these  lofty  pines  in  the  Yosemite  Yal- 
ley;  and  it  is  very  doubtful  if  the  ass  which  he 
appropriated  was  any  more  spirited  than  the 
poor  beasts  which  bore  us  so  laboriously  over 
the  rough  mountain  trail,  bearing  the  brand  of 
Washburn,  Chapman  &  Co. 


STEAWBEEEYING    IN    THE    YOSEMITE 
VALLEY. 

APAETY  of  three  were  going  for  a  drive 
towards  the  upper  end  of  this  enchanting 
valley,  and  as  if  to  tetnpt  the  fates,  who  are  said 
to  be  partial  to  odd  numbers,  I  was  invited  to 
fill  a  vacant  seat  and  make  the  number  even. 
The  horses  were  of  the  sedate,  thoughtful  type, 
born  to  take  things  complacently,  and  without 
any  fiery  or  spirited  nonsense  about  them,  and 
when  encouraged  by  the  lash,  invariably  express- 
ing the  same  start  of  surprise,  immediately  set- 
tling into  their  original  gait,  as  if  they  believed 
the  driver's  suggestions  to  be  purely  accidental. 
The  driver  represented  among  men  what  the 
team  did  among  horses.  He  was  a  descendant 
of  the  noble  Castiliaii,  subject  to  the  modifica- 
tion of  the  various  erosses  which  have  taken 
(154) 


8TRAWBERRYING    IN    THE    VALLEY.  155 

place  in  the  peculiar  commingling  of  races  upon 
the  Pacific  coast.  Our  driver  might  have  prided 
himself  upon  speaking  four  or  five  different 
languages,  without  being  able  to  read  in  either, 
and  in  each  of  these  dialects  his  vocabulary  may 
have  been  so  limited  that  it  would  be  quite 
impossible  to  elicit  an  intelligent  response  to  the 
most  common-place  inquiry.  From  constitu- 
tional peculiarities,  our  driver's  virtues  must 
ever  be  his  greatest  faults,  a  paradox,  but  never- 
theless applying  with  equal  truth  to  both  men 
and  horses.  At  the  first  outset  the  wagon; 
squeaked  so  fearfully  that  we  were  afraid  our 
voices  could  not  be  heard — a  very  uncomfortable 
state  of  things  for  an  excessively  talkative. party. 
The  gentleman  of  the  company,  Captain  B.,  a 
Massachusetts  Yankee,  proposed  to  the  driver 
that  we  put  into  some  harbor  a  sufficient  length 
of  time  to  grease  the  wheels,  remarking  that  the 
hubs  might  heat,  and  that  this  might  interfere 
with  our  locomotion.  It  was  evident  that  the 
Captain  knew  more  of  ship  rigging  than  lie  did 
of  horses  and  their  fixtures,  for  a  single  glance 
at  those   natural    born  scrubs  would   have  con- 


156  OVER   THE   PUKPLE    HILLS. 

vinced  any  one  but  a  seaman  tliat  the  hubs  were 
not  in  as  much  danger  of  heat  by  friction  as  we 
were  of  sunstroke  by  stagnation.  The  boy  of 
doubtful  nationality  and  mixed  dialects,  was 
sufficiently  Americanized  to  pay  no  attention  to 
the  Captain's  suggestions,  and  soon  the  noisy 
M'heels  were  forgotten  in  contemplating  the 
grandeur  of  the  walls  of  this  mighty  tabernacle. 
The  air  was  pure  and  bracing,  the  vegetation 
lending  a  delightful  fragrance,  and  the  party 
were  filled  with  wonder  which  was  vented  in 
exclamations.  These  gigantic  walls  so  over- 
shadow things  as  to  make  the  valley  appear 
much  smaller  than  it  really  is.  After  a  delight- 
ful drive  of  two  hours  we  reach  the  end  of  the 
wagon  road,  and  return  on  a  diverging  route  in 
order  to  come  near  the  Yosemite  Falls.  In  Our 
course  lies  the  transparent  Merced,  spanned  by  a 
bridge  of  most  remarkable  architectural  struc- 
ture. Two  logs,  or  stringers,  are  laid  across  the 
stream  and  floored  with  planks,  which  are  fas- 
tened down  with  wooden  pins.  At  present  it  is  so 
much  settled  upon  one  side  as  to  leave  in  fearful 
doubt  the  center  of  gravity  of  a  passing  vehicle. 


STRAWBERRYING    IN    THE    VALLEY.  157 

There  is  a  ford  that  can  be  crossed  with  some 
risk  at  this  season  of  the  year,  as  the  water  is 
yet  rather  high  and  so  limpid  that  one  is  liable 
to  be  deceived  in  the  depth.  Being  upon  the 
front  seat  beside  the  driver  I  took  the  liberty  to 
suggest  that  fording  might  be  better  than  flying 
in  our  present  ill-fledged  condition,  that  this  was 
a  promising  bridge,  but  that  the  promise  was 
entirely  too  one-sided.  My  argument  prevailed, 
perhaps  appealed  to  the  judgment  of  the  driver. 
The  horses  plunged  into  the  stream  like  lazy 
porpoises,  apparently  delighted  with  the  prospect 
of  swimming,  commencing  to  drink  as  they 
waded,  going  slower  and  slower,  as  the  water 
became  deeper.  The  dull  creatures  took  it  so 
lei  surly,  and  with  such  a  relish,  that  I  should 
have  been  more  alarmed  than  surprised  if  they 
had  attempted  to  lie  down  and  roll  over.  The 
water  already  came  so  high  that  my  hair  stood 
<>n  end.  I  had  drawn  several  drowning  sighs 
and  the  crisis  was  not  yet  reached,  but  in  another 
moment  the  water  came  pouring  over  the  little 
dash-board.  1  gave  a  faint,  feminine  shriek, 
elevated  my  feet  upon  a  level  with  the  seat,  the 


158  OVER   THE    PURPLK    HILLS. 

driver  lilt  the  horses,  they  gave  a  start,  and  the 
trouble  was  over.  We  had  crossed;  not  entirely 
dry  shod,  for  the  Captain  and  his  wife  did  not 
see  the  situation  in  time  to  save  their  soles  from 
the  impending  fate.  During  this  adventure  I 
was  fearfullv  exercised  mentally,  making  a  vig- 
orous  resolve  to  devote  the  remainder  of  my 
efforts  upon  earth  to  suppress  any  disposition 
towards  officiousness.  However  the  peril  was 
passed  and  soon  forgotten;  and  it  is  surprising 
how  rapidly  clothing  dries  in  this  clear  evapo- 
rating atmosphere.  Shortly  after  we  find  our- 
selves in  a  circular  piece  of  meadow  land  sur- 
rounded by  a  growth  of  fine  young  trees.  This 
is  the  land  of  wild  strawberries,  where  I  was 
tempted  to  go  a-berrying  to  recall  the  days  of 
youth,  and  to  pay  very  dear  for  the  whistle. 
Directly  in  front  of  us  was  that  white-robed 
spirit,  known  as  the  Yosemite  Falls,  descending 
like  a  million  sky  rockets  over  two  thousand 
feet  of  fall  to  baptize  the  rocks  below  and  glad- 
den the  fertile  valleys.  Occasionally  its  snowy 
drapery  is  blown  aside  by  the  busy  breeze, 
returning    gracefully    like    a    hanging    curtain. 


STRAWBERRYING    IN    THE    VALLEY.  159 

This  beautiful  piece  ot*  natural  scenery  engenders 
veneration  and  sublimity  in  the  human  mind.  I 
found  myself  changing  a  passage  in  Goldsmith's 
Deserted  Village  to  suit  the  occasion: 

In  all  my  wanderings  around  this  world  of  care, 
In  all  my  griefs,  and  God  has  given  my  share, 
I  still  had  hope  some  pleasant  hours  to  crown, 
Besides  these  grand  old  rocks  to  sit  me  down, 
To  draw  an  inspiration  from  these  scenes  to  last 
Until  the  latest  hour  of  life  is  past. 

In  driving  through  the  meadow  I  observed  a 
plat  of  wild  strawberries.  If  I  stopped  to  pick 
them  then  there  was  nothing  to  put  them  in,  so 
we  passed  on.  Bright  visions  of  rose-tinted, 
hopeful  youth  flitted  through  my  brain.  I  could 
not  be  content  without  returning  to  this  field 
and  getting  a  few  strawberries,  just  to  refresh 
my  memory  upon  the  days  of  pink  sunbonnets 
and  Old  Lang  Syne.  The  next  morning  I  pro- 
cured a  four  quart  pail  and  started  for  the  red 
field  of  action.  A  road  never  seemed  so  long. 
It  was  reported  a  mile  and  a  half,  but  I  am  sure 
that  it  was  three  miles.  Once  started  I  must 
reach  the  ground,  and  reaching  it  must  procure 


160  OVER   THE    PURPLE   HILLS. 

some  of  the  wild  fruit,  and  then  walk  back 
unless  a  miracle  interposed  to  save  the  infliction. 
Upon  reaching  the  slanting  bridge,  I  ventured 
across  on  foot,  and  on  doing  so  modified  my 
mental  resolution  in  regard  to  officiousness,  for  I 
now  began  to  think  that  my  interposition  the 
day  before  saved  us  from  being  tipped  into  the 
cool  Merced.  I  never  in  my  life  felt  more 
keenly  that  I  had  been  deceived  in  distance,  but 
comforted  myself  by  saying  that  three  miles  is 
no  distance  for  a  British  subject  to  walk.  I  had 
become  very  warm,  tired  and  thirsty;  the  Merced 
flowed  nearly  around  the  meadow,  and  before  I 
commenced  my  picking,  dipped  my  pail  into  the 
river  and  drank  of  the  refreshing  water.  I  envy 
the  cattle  that  can  quench  their  thirst  at  this 
stream  the  year  round.  It  is  the  coolest,  sweetest 
tasting  water  that  I  ever  drank,  and  is  as  soft  as 
snow-water — just  what  it  is.  It  comes  near  to 
the  Bartlett  Spring  in  flavor.  I  gathered  a  quart 
of  berries,  went  to  the  river,  wet  my  handker- 
chief, placed  it  in  my  hat  and  started  for  home, 
(we  sometimes  call  the  hotels  in  this  country  by 
that  name.)     This  field  did  not  seem  wide,  still 


STRAWBERRYING    IN    THE    VALLEY.  16-1 

I  observed  horsemen  upon  the  other  side  and 
they  looked  as  if  they  were  in  an  adjoining 
county.  T  wandered  along,  occasionally  stopping 
at  a  red  patch,  and  this  fascination  continued  to 
hold  me  until  I  had  added  three  quarts  to  my 
gatherings;  by  this  time  the  edge  of  the  field 
was  reached.  I  was  thirsty  again  and  wondered 
how  T  could  ever  have  started  off  on  such  a 
journey  without  a  lunch  and  cup  to  drink  from. 
This  was  verily  much  like  the  heedlessness  of 
youth.  But  I  was  perishing  with  thirst  and- my 
pail  was  in  use.  There  was  no  other  way  but  to 
build  a  pier  of  drift-wood  and  drink  hunter 
fashion.  This  was  performed  with  some  labor; 
then  I  steered  for  the  meadow  and  was  on  the 
road  for  home,  feeling  a  little  as  if  youthful 
pastimes  were  a  humbug.  I  should  have  felt 
more  decided  in  regard  to  these  reflections' if  I 
could  conscientiously  say  that  age  always  brought 
wisdom.  I  am  firmly  convinced  that  it  does 
not,  for  I  *till  find  myself  controlled  at  times  by 
strange  freaks  that  would  tend  to  question  the 
common  sense  of  a  child  ten  years  of  age.  At 
length  the  hotel  was  reached  and  an  elderly  lady 


162  OVER    THK    PURPLK    HIT  IS. 

offered  to  help  me  hull  my  berries.  This  task 
completed  I  went  to  the  kitchen  and  gave  orders 
as  to  how  the  berries  were  to  be  divided  among 
my  acquaintances.  The  stages  came  in  before 
dinner  and  there  was  a  rush  of  hungry  passen- 
gers. I  put  in  a  claim  that  I  had  been  without 
eating  for  ten  hours  and  had  been  a-berrying. 
My  claim  was  granted,  and  in  the  course  of  table 
serving  I  had  a  dish  of  the  wild  strawberries. 
Upon  going  to  my  room  I  found  myself  getting 
fearfully  sea-sick  without  a  thought  of  going  to 
sea.  Soon  T  had  lost  all  my  berries  and  supper 
too.  The  system  was  exhausted  and  the  stomach 
promptly  resented  any  further  imposition  in  the 
way  of  work.  The  next  two  days  I  was  unable 
to  sit  up.  It  took  twenty-four  hours  for  my 
acquaintances  to  realize  that  I  was  ill,  and  when 
they  called  T  inquired  if  they  had  received  any 
of  the  wild  berries.  Not  one,  they  answered. 
The  servants  were  rushed  out  of  their  senses 
and  no  one  knew  anything  about  them.  I  was 
overwhelmed  with  disappointment;  how  should 
I  get  even  ?  upon  whom  could  T  be  revenged  ? 
[f  I  were  a  male  member  of  society,  a  privileged 


STRAWBERRYING    IN    THE    VALLEY.  163 

citizen,  could  have  vented  ray  rage  and  ire  in 
kicks,  cuffs  and  forcible  language,  but  being  a 
restricted  nondescript  with  many  asserted  liber- 
ties and  little  practical  freedom,  I  restrained  mv 
feelings,  took  a  pill  of  asafcetida  and  found  my 
temper  becoming  calm.  I  perhaps  could  have 
had  the  satisfaction  of  kicking  over  a  chair,  but 
the  muscles  brought  into  use  upon  the  straw- 
berry field  refused  to  act  in  concert  with  healthy 
locomotion.  If  any  person  had  at  that  time 
called  me  a  failure  or  an  unmitigated  humbug,  I 
should  have  believed  the  statement.  While 
lying  in  bed  I  had  time  to  reflect  upon  the 
uncertainty  of  human  affairs,  and  realize,  in  the 
language  of  the  Widow  Bedott; 

We  can't  calculate  with  no  precision, 

On  naught  beneath  the  sky, 
So  I  have  come  to  the  decision 

That  'taint  no  use  to  try. 

Owing  to  the  transient  character  of  the  Yose- 
mite  travel,  in  getting  about  after  two  days 
illness,  all  my  acquaintances  were  gone  and  their 
places    filled    with    strangers.      Like   Rip    Van 


164  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

Winkle,  I  was  led  to  exclaim,  I  knew  who  were 
my  neighbors  when  I  went  to  sleep.  I  had  lost 
three  days  of  active  life  and  one  sleeve  button. 
The  strawberries,  even  those  eaten  were  a  total 
loss  —  mine  going  to  the  dogs,  and  the  rest 
devoured  by  non-sympathizing  tourists.  Here, 
in  sight  of  the  beautiful  Yosemite  Falls,  I  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  we  have  no  more  right  to 
sigh  over  our  youthful  days  than  we  have  to 
covet  our  neighbor's  horses  or  his  overcoat. 
That  the  roses  of  youth  are  so  entwined  with 
verdancy  that  we  gain  more  than  we  lose  by  our 
transit  into  the  sear  and  yellow  leaf.  That  no 
one  period  of  human  life  possesses  an  advantage 
over  another,  and  I  resolve  to  accept  the  law7s  of 
compensation,  let  by-gones  be  by-gones,  and 
remember  no  more  the  days  nor  the  follies  of 
youth. 


VERNAL  AND  NEVADA  FALLS. 


r  J  ^HESE  interesting-  tails  are  reached  from  the 
J-  valley  by  a  zigzag  trail  which  can  only  be 
traversed  on  foot,  or  upon  animals.  We  started 
at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  guide  going- 
ahead  in  order  to  point  out  and  call  the  names 
of  places  of  interest.  The  ride  through  any 
part  of  the  timber  is  most  delightful,  being  as 
shady  as  one  continued  park.  The  weather  is 
just  cool  enough,  just  warm  enough,  in  short 
it  seems  made  for  the  special  comfort  of  tourists 
and  if  the  winds  are  tempered  to  the  shorn  lamb, 
why  should  not  the  goats  come  in  for  a  share  of 
this  temperature?  We  meander  slowly  through 
pleasant  glades,  glens,  and  intervals,  crossing 
mountain  streams,  beautifully  speckled  with 
pieces  of  pulverized  granite,  worn  until  they 
take  the  name  pebble,  rivulets  possessing  so  much 
(165) 


166  OVER   THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

of  picturesque  beauty,  that  it  hardly  seems  pos- 
sible for  them  to  exist  outside  of  poetical  imag- 
ination. Here  are  the  stately  pine  and  red  wood, 
the  graceful,  although  illegitimate  cedar,  the 
beautiful  silver  fir,  also  the  balm  of  Gilead.  The 
showy  dog  wood  displays  its  gay  blosoms,  the 
spicy  plant  known  as  colt's  foot  grows  luxuri- 
antly in  this  altitude,  the  fair  azalea  decorates 
the  open  glade  and  lends  its  aroma  to  the  passing 
breeze.  The  animals,  poor  creatures,  are  over 
worked  and  not  properly  fed,  hence  the  most 
spiritless,  sheepish  looking  creatures  one  can 
imagine;  they  pass  demurely  along  in  single  file 
ever  slow  and  cautious.  As  we  begin  to  ascend 
the  mountain,  the  trail  becomes  rougher  and  it 
is  wonderful  the  rock's  hard-heads,  rolling  stones 
and  other  obstructions  these  patient  creatures 
will  overcome.  After  an  hour's  cool  pleasant 
riding,  the  sound  of  rushing  water  breaks  upon 
our  ears,  increasing  in  roar  until  conversation 
becomes  impossible,  and  the  clear  Merced,  in  a 
different  course,  comes  dashing,  tearing,  roaring 
down  o'er  the  mountain  we  are  climbing.  It 
pours,  rushes  with    terrible    force   over   mighty 


VERNAL    AND    NEVADA    EALI.S  167 

rocks  and  helpless  drift-wood,  sometimes  appear- 
ing like  a  flock  of  wolf-hunted  sheep,  then  broken 
into  snowy  fleeces  and  here  and  there  running 
into  great  clear  streams  of  liquid  green,  ever  in 
fearful  tearing  haste  to  join  the  placid  river  flow- 
ing calmly  through  the  quiet  valley.  The  rush 
of  these  waters  create  a  strong  breeze  which  is 
wonderfully  refreshing,  although  we  are  not  sens- 
ible of  any  undue  heat.  We  scramble  up  a 
trail  harder  than  the  way  of  the  transgressor,  and 
arrive  at  the  toll  house,  for  this  road  is  built  by 
private  enterprise,  and  must  be  kept  open  and 
in  repair  at  the  expense  of  the  tourists.  Here 
we  alight,  tie  our  sheep-like  steeds,  pay  a  toll  of 
seventy-five  cents,  and  scramble  over  the  rocks 
on  foot,  including  a  vigorous  u>e  of  hands,  in 
order  to  get  a  better  view  of  the  Vernal  Falls. 
At  length  we  reach  a  large  flat  stone  that  might 
with  much  appropriateness  be  called  table  rock. 
This  is  covered  with  a  plat  of  green  moss,  and 
seems  as  if  fixed  for  the  purpose  of  giving  a  fine 
view  of  this  fall,  notwithstanding  one's  literal 
hard  scramble  to  reach  it.  This  sheet  of  water 
descends  over  the  walls  of  this  mighty  fortiiica- 


168  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

tion  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  Of  course, 
streams  passing  into  the  valley  naturally  seek  the 
lowest  and  must  accessible  part  of  the  wall  in  its 
immediate  vicinity.  The  voice  of  this  cataract 
reaches  one's  ears  long  before  its  snowy  presence 
greets  the  vision,  breaking  the  grand  majestic 
panorama  of  ever  varying  rocks.  This  fall  has 
a  breath  as  well  as  a  voice.  After  receiving  our 
misty  baptism  from  nature's  flowing  font,  I 
sing  "  Nearer  my  God  to  thee,  nearer  to  thee," 
What  though  it  be  a  Fall  that  bringeth  me. 

We  then  scrambled  back  to  the  toll  house,  a 
building  about  twenty  feet  long  and  fourteen  in 
width,  and  located  under  the  edge  of  a  speckled 
granite  ruck  of  the  steamboat  shape,  the  stone 
forming  the  back  part  of  the  house  and  half  of 
the  roof,  giving  it  a  cave  like  appearance.  There 
are  many  bowlders  of  this  peculiar  shape.  There 
is  one  located  near  the  trail  known  as  the  steam- 
boat rock.  The  form  is  large  and  flat  upon  the 
tup  like  the  deck  of  a  steamer,  and  runs  in  upon 
two  sides,  making  the  bottom  smaller,  giving  it 
the  appearance  of  a  ship  upon  the  dry  docks; 
and  seem  to  have  been  floated  and  left  high  and 


VERNAL    AND    NEVADA    FALLS.  169 

dry,  or  have  run  aground  in  some  of  nature's 
volcanic  freaks.  Some  of  them  have  springs  of 
water  forming  a  little  pond  in  which  they  seem 
to  rest  content,  rather  than  to  shrink  and  shed 
their  mossy  barnacles  from  very  dryness. 

This  rocky  formation  is  really  one  of  the 
wonders  of  the  valley,  and  is  in  reality  bowlders 
which  have  been  cleaved  out  of  the  stupendous 
walls  when  shaken  by  earthquakes,  and  when 
they  have  fallen,  the  large  flat  surface  downward, 
do  not  attract  the  attention  of  the  observer,  be- 
cause resembling  nothing  upon  the  earth,  but 
when  lying  the  small  end  downward,  the  resem- 
blance is  too  much  like  a  steamship  to  be  over- 
looked. The  toll  house  was  grafted  upon  this 
singular  formation,  lessening  the  expense  one- 
half,  roof  and  all.  There  is  yet  room  for  a  livery 
stable  and  necessary  out  buildings  under  the 
protecting  wing  of  the  same  mighty  bov/lder. 
Again  we  mount  our  sheepish  steeds  and  com- 
mence the  ascent  of  a  zigzag  trail,  our  winding- 
way  upward  over  hanging  precipices  of  fearful 
height  and  depth.  The  animals,  both  horses 
and    mules,  show   a   peculiar   individuality  not 


170  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

observed  heretofore  in  their  sleepy  manners. 
They  assert  themselves  as  much  as  to  say,  "We 
understand  this  trail,  and  the  business  of  this 
ascent  must  be  left  to  us  entirely.  We  know 
just  where  you  are  going,  and  that  we  are  respon- 
sible for  both  our  lives,  and  must  therefore  be 
allowed  to  proceed  without  dictation."  Hence, 
they  halt  at  every  turn  to  take  breath,  stopping 
and  starting  when  they  please.  They  seem  to 
ignore  the  interference  of  man.  both  as  to  what 
they  can  endure,  and  the  choice  of  picking  their 
own  foothold.  One  soon  learns  to  repose  perfect 
confidence  in  the  careful  creatures,  ceases  to  tug 
at  the  reins  when  he  finds  it  of  no  avail,  and 
anxiously  trusts  to  the  fates  for  daring  to  tempt 
providence.  Soon  the  greatest  anxiety  comes 
from  the  fact  that  the  animal  moves  so  slowly 
that  there  is  danger  of  his  falling  asleep  and  for- 
getting to  move  altogether.  My  poor,  dear  beast 
when  stopping  for  breath,  would  turn  his  head, 
lay  back  his  ears  and  look  out  upon  the  tops  of 
the  forest  trees  and  down  the  precipice  as  if  he 
did  not  think  much  of  this  style  of  scenery. 
Sometimes  he  had  sufficient  spirit  to  snort  when 


VERNAL    AND    NEVADA    FALLS.  171 

turning    his   eyes    thoughtfully   back    upon    the 
rocky  trail. 

At  length  we  reach  a  certain  point,  not  the 
summit  but  the  climax  of  our  expectations,  and 
commence  a  descent  upon  the  other  side.  Pres- 
ently the  Nevada  Falls  comes  in  sight,  the  cap 
of  Liberty,  and  Mount  Washington  and  Mount 
Broderick.  Nevada  Fall  rushes  over  a  precipice 
seven  hundred  feet  high,  and  in  width  is  much 
like  the  spiritual  looking  Yosemite  Fall.  It 
appears  to  be  about  four  feet  in  width,  while  the 
Vernal  seems  to  be  ten  or  twenty.  These  tall, 
or  long  cataracts,  all  descend  in  the  form  of  sky 
rockets,  while  the  shorter  cascades  are  more 
(•(impact,  forming  a  solid,  moving,  white  sheet. 
Nevada  Fall  sends  forth  an  atmosphere  heavy 
with  mist,  and  at  three  or  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  rainbows  may  be  seen  with  dazzling 
brilliancy  and  the  primitive  colors  in  varied 
shapes.  The  draft  caused  by  these  rushing  ele- 
ments, keeps  a  few  white  clouds  hovering  over 
this  cataract,  like  guardian  angels,  the  only  clouds 
to  be  seen  in  the  deep  ether  above,  and  the  cool 
breath  of  this  baptizing  spirit,  compelled  us  to 


172  OVER    THK    PURPLE    H   LLS. 

retreat  into  our  thickest  wraps  while  standing 
face  to  face,  contemplating  its  graceful  grandeur. 
The  Cap  of  Liberty,  a  rock  standing  four  thous- 
and six  hundred  feet  above  the  valley,  and  clear 
from  its  surroundings,  is,  according  to  my  fancy, 
the  most  interesting  granite  giant  in  the  whole 
valley.  It  is  stupendous  beyond  conception,  and 
with  its  eap-like  outlines,  standing  against  the 
clear  blue  sky,  it  presents  to  the  beholder  one 
of  the  wonders  of  the  world  in  magnitude.  I 
did  not  feel  able  to  stand  and  view  my  dumb 
stone  chief  from  head  to  foot,  his  greatness  so 
overwhelmed  me  that  I  sought  a  reclining  posi- 
tion that  I  might  have  a  place  to  hold  my  head 
in  case  my  brain  reeled  in  his  majestic  presence. 
We  have  now  been  a  half  hour  at  Snow's,  the 
name  of  the  man  who  keeps  the  hotel  or  lunch 
house  in  this  remote  location,  a  place  only  known 
to  the  pleasure  seeking  tourist,  and  the  few  who 
make  a  business  of  guiding  him  hither.  I  am 
so  fatigued  from  the  ascent  that  I  fall  asleep 
upon  the  lounge  and  dream  of  seeing  waterfalls, 
and  hearing  roaring  cataracts,  and  wake  to  find 
my  mouth  dry  and  parched,  longing  for  a  draft 


VERNAL  AND  NEVADA  FALLS.        173 

from  the  cool  Merced.  I  obtained  it,  but  scarcely 
dare  drink  half  a  glass,  because  I  have  already 
drank  of  this  water  and  chilled  my  stomach  until 
it  refuses  to  digest  the  most  simple  food.  It 
seems  to  create  an  inward  fever  and  a  most 
unconquerable  thirst.  Others  beside  myself 
speak  of  this  peculiarity  of  the  waters,  still  every 
one  is  crazy  to  get  it. 

After  partaking  of  a  most  excellent  lunch  and 
resting  a  couple  of  hours,  we  think  of  retracing 
our  steps.  The  horses  have  been  stabled  and 
fed,  but  it  would  take  days,  weeks,  months,  per- 
haps years  for  them  to  get  refreshed.  Poor 
jaded  creatures;  somehow  T  cannot  feel  very 
tenderly  toward  the  man  who  makes  money  by 
abusing  other  animals.  I  always  felt  an  inward 
chuckle  of  delight  when  the  guides  had  occasion 
to  state  that  certain  eccentric  mules  and  know- 
ing horses  had  so  hid  themselves  among  the 
rocks  that  they  could  not  be  found  at  the  time 
they  were  wanted  to  make  the  laborious' ascent 
of  the  trail.  Somehow  these  creatures  have  my 
sympathy,  as  does  every  living  thing  that  has 
sufficient  sense  to  resent  a  wrong  imposed  upon 


174  OVER    THE    IURPLK    HILLS. 

it.  We  pay  a  dollar  apiece  for  our  lunch,  and, 
because  of  my  enfeebled  digestion,  I  feel  that  I 
am  not  getting'  the  worth  of  my  money;  there- 
fore, desire  my  horse  shall  have  ray  share  of  the 
meal  in  token  of  thankfulness  for  his  care  in 
bringing  my  heavy  person  over  the  precipitous 
road.  I  place  a  few  shriveled  apples  in  my 
pocket  for  my  ragged  steed.  The  gentlemen 
say  that  he  will  not  eat  them.  I  am  wondering 
why  man  will  continue  to  throw  cold  water 
upon  the  smallest  enterprise —  if  that  enterprise 
be  a  feminine  one.  Natural  perversity  in  the 
disposition  of  the  human  male  is  wonderful  in 
its  way,  and  it  continues  to  exasperate  me  as  if 
it  were  not  a  thing  of  every  day,  and  T  might  say 
hourly,  occurence.  T  never  get  used  to  it;  T  feel 
,-is  if  I  would  like  to  be  transmigrated  into  a  sit- 
ting hen  for  the  occasion,  so  that  T  might  fly  upon 
the  shoulders  of  one  of  these  stubborn,  willful 
creatures  and  give  him  a  good  threshing  with 
my  wings,  associated  with  a  vigorous  hen-peck- 
iijii'.  But  1  forget  that  it  is  ;i  woman's  office  to  be 
patient,  and  I  expect  this  quarrelsome  disposition 
arises   from  the  state  of  my  digestion,  or  rather 


VERNAL  AND  NEVADA  FALLS.        175 

indigestion.  At  anv  rate  I  ^ave  the  horse  the 
apples  and  lie  still  retained  enough  of  the  Old 
Adam  to  eat  it;  or,  according  to  the  Darwinian 
theory,  Adam  may  have  retained  enough  of  the 
Old  Horse  or  Donkey  to  cause  him  to  eat  apples 
when  presented  by  the  hand  of  an  affectionate 
woman.  I  like  hopeful,  believing  people.  Hope 
is  a  twin  sister  to  the  male  Courage,  and  nothing 
of  importance  can  ever  be  accomplished  without 
both  working  together.  I  believed  the  horse 
would  eat  the  apples,  and  was  right;  our  first 
grand  mother  had  the  same  faith,  and  was  suc- 
cessful. If  Adam  had  been  looking  for  birds' 
nests  to  rob,  and  found  the  apple,  he  would  not 
have  believed  that  Eve  cared  about  this  variety 
of  fruit,  consequently  would  have  eaten  it  him- 
self without  submitting  the  question  or.  giving 
Eve  the  benefit  of  the  doubt. 

We  are  soon  upon  our  horses  and  commence 
the  descent,  feeling  well  paid  for  the  anxiety  of 
ascending.  The  downward  course  is  more  diffi- 
cult. The  attraction  of  gravitation  tries  so  hard 
to  get  the  better  of  us  that  we  are  obliged  to 
brace    ourselves    painfully    against    its    efforts. 


176  OVER    THE    PURPLK    HILLS. 

We  go  faster  at  any  rate  than  we  did  ascending, 
partly  because  the  animals  are  homeward  bound 
and  are  anxious  for  their  browse.  We  do  not 
stop  at  the  toll  house,  only  glance  at  it  and  pass 
on.  Soon  we  are  in  the  valley,  and  so  accus- 
tomed to  the  motion  of  the  horses  that  all  anxi- 
ety is  dropped.  The  guide  foils  behind  to  gossip 
with  that  dignitary  of  another  party,  as  we  no 
longer  need  his  services.  We  met  a  large  party 
going  up  to  Snow's  to  remain  all  night,  and  be 
kept  awake  by  the  musical  sound  of  roaring  cat- 
aracts. Our  horses  do  not  like  to  give  the  trail ; 
luckily  we  are  not  upon  precipitous  ground ;  if 
our  party  had  been,  the  others  would  not  have 
been  permitted  to  leave  the  toll  house  until  we 
came;  as  it  was  there  was  little  trouble  and  less 
danger;  the  horses  crowding  together  and  refus- 
ing to  give  up  the  trail,  as  if  they  had  sole  pos- 
session and  did  not  mean  to  relinquish  it,  They 
persisted  in  placing  themselves  lengthwise  across 
the  track,  and  struggled  to  hold  this  position 
so  that  none  of  the  other  party  could  pass. 
Now  comes  the  solid  enjoyment  of  the  trip. 
Beneath  these  grand  and  peaceful  shades,  across 


BRIDAL  VEIL  FALL. 


VERNAL  AND  NEVADA  FALLS.        177 

those  picturesque  pebble  brooks  we  uncon- 
sciously scatter,  eacli  lingering  carelessly  behind 
the  other,  enjoying  the  scenes,  each  in  own  way 
or  according  to  his  particular  fancy.  The  party 
straggled  on  an  hour,  cling  to  the  banks  of  the 
Merced.  Observing  its  present  tranquility  one 
would  hardly  believe  that  this  was  the  same 
stream  which  an  hour  ago  came  madly  racing 
with  the  breeze  down  the  mountain  side.  At 
five  or  half  past  the  members  of  the  party  drop 
unceremoniously  off  to  their  various  destinations, 
and  when  I  rein  my  steed  up  at  the  hotel  steps, 
not  one  of  that  file  of  fifteen  persons  is  present. 
Some  were  already  engaged,  likely  brushing  the 
dust  from  their  linen  garments,  others  still 
lingered  in  tiie  cool  evening  atmosphere  con  tern 
plating  scenes  which  they  are  likely  to  behold 
but  once  in  a  lifetime. 
12 


MIRROR  LAKE. 

THIS  beautiful  little  lake,  lying  between  these 
gigantic  walls,  can  be  reached  by  a  good  car- 
riage road,  with  a  short  distance  to  walk.  Many 
persons  visit  this  picturesque  piece  of  scenery 
without  taking'  the  trouble  to  think  why  all  lakes 
or  ponds  are  not  mirrors.  The  water,  like  the 
Merced,  is  soft,  and  clear  as  crystal,  being  mostly 
melted  snow.  I  will  here  take  occasion  to  say 
that  the  wells  in  the  valley  seem  to  be  the  same 
quality  of  water,  partaking  of  the  same  clearness, 
coolness  and  softness.  Such  water  is  the  greatest 
luxury  upon  earth,  and  its  qualities  do  not  cause 
illness,  only  from  being  taken  into  the  system  too 
cold.  This  lake  being  encompassed  closely  by  a 
nich  in  the  walls  of  the  valley,  its  waters  are 
as  placid  as  the  surface  of  a  mirror;  not  a  ripple 
in  seen  to  disturb  its  peaceful  bosom,  unless  may 
(178) 


MIRROK    LAKE.  179 

be  by  the  jumping  of  the  speckled  trout.  The 
time  to  visit  it  is  between  six  and  seven  in  the 
morning.  One  will  never  imagine  by  hearing  it 
spoken  of  what  a  perfect  looking-glass  can  be 
formed  of  snow  water  and  a  dark  background. 
There  is  no  exaggeration  in  the  dimensions  of 
objects,  no  distortion  of  shape  or  color,  and  no 
looking-glass  could  give  better  satisfaction  in 
portraying  images.  It  must  be  visited  at  the 
right  time,  for  after  the  sun  shines  over  the  walls 
of  the  valley  it  converts  this  grandest  of  mirrors 
into  an  insignificant  fish  or  frog  pond.  It  has 
no  frogs,  however,  and  the  angling  tourist  and 
native  Indian  promise  to  destroy  all  the  fish, 
unless  some  stringent  game  laws  are  enacted  and 
rigidly  enforced  to  protect  the  finny  tribes  from 
the  above  mentioned  rapacious  monsters.  I  am 
told  by  a  resident  that  the  Indians  gather  the 
minnows  by  the  half  bushel  when  not  more  than 
two  or  three  inches  long,  and  boil  them  for  food. 
This  is  certainly  a  wretched  way  to  destroy  these 
pretty  fishes,  which  should  be  kept  for  the  benefit 
of  the  sporting  public,  and  not  for  the  practical 
utility  of  feeding  a  degraded  savage.     The  depth 


180  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

of  this  water  makes  no  difference  with  the  per- 
fection of  the  mirror.  The  reflection  is  as  perfect 
where  the  water  is  three  inches  deep  as  where  it 
is  four  feet.  When  the  sun  can  peep  over  this 
mighty  enclosure,  four  thousand  feet  high,  it  is 
well  to  watch  the  effect  of  the  light  upon  the 
trees  where  it  first  strikes  with  concentrated 
force.  Its  rays  seem  to  turn  the  foliage  into  the 
most  exquisite  embossing  of  silver.  This  effect, 
is  reflected  perfectly  in' the  lake,  and  one  can  get 
as  fine  a  view  from  looking  downward  as  from  gaz- 
ing upward.  The  rocky  walls  compose  the  frame 
of  this  wonderful  looking-glass.  The  trees,  shrubs 
and  human  beings,  are  as  perfectly  reflected  as 
from  any  mirror  suspended  from  the  ceiling. 
There  is  a  kind  of  rude  building,  with  a  platform 
built  out  into  the  edge  of  the  water,  and  here  a 
small  boat  is  kept,  manned  by  a  hopeful  young 
American;  and  for  twenty-five  cents  one  can  be 
rowed  out  upon  this  looking-glass,  and  when  the 
sun  is  shining  its  depth  is  fully  revealed,  for  the 
pellucid  waters  can  hide  nothing. 


LEAVING  YOSEMITE  VALLEY. 

AT  six  in  the  morning  the  stage  is  in  readi- 
ness. We  have  onr  breakfast  and  get  in, 
driving  about  two  miles,  where  men  are  at  work 
upon  the  road.  The  Mariposa  line  at  this  date  is 
not  complete,  but  will  be  finished  and  in  good 
running  order  by  the  time  this  writing  reaches 
the  public  Saddle  and  pack  horses  are  brought 
for  us  to  ride  two  or  three  miles.  After  mount- 
ing we  are  informed  that  a  number  of  blasts  are 
about  to  be  touched  off,  and  the  Chinamen  come 
running  back  and  hide  themselves  beneath  the 
eaves  of  those  steamboat  rocks.  We  turn  our 
horses  backward  a  few  feet,  and  the  blasting 
commences.  The  reports  —  a  dozen  or  more  — - 
follow  in  quick  succession,  and  we  are  informed 
that  the  danger  is  over.  The  Chinamen  creep 
from  their  hiding  places  and  resume  work;  and 
(181) 


182  OVER    THE   PURPLE    H1IXS 

we  ride  on,  not,  however,  without  a  feeling  that 
giant  powder  or  nitro-glycerine  might  be  lying 
in  ambush.  The  powder  used  in  this  operation 
does  not  cause  the  stones  to  fly,  but  just  bursts 
them  open  in  the  most  satisfactory  manner,  leav- 
ing them  loose  to  be  removed  by  the  pick  and 
shovel.  An  intelligent  Scotchman  in  our  party 
was  much  pleased  at  being  a  witness  to  this 
blasting  process,  as  he  considered  it  quite  a 
feature  in  his  American  travels.  The  trail  for  a 
short  distance  is  so  fearfully  beset  with  sharp- 
edged  stones,  that  I  soon  forgot  the  fear  of  latent 
fire-works  in  contemplation  of  new  dangers.  It 
is  a  wonder  that  the  horses  pass  through  such  a 
path  without  blood  upon  their  legs;  but  T  heard 
of  no  accident. 

Here  we  have  upon  one  hand  the  refreshing 
Merced,  really  swelled  to  the  dignity  of  a  river. 
The  waters  are  tranquil,  and  of  a  lovely  green 
color.  Speckled  trout  were  plainly  to  be  seen 
disporting  themselves  in  the  clear  water.  Tf 
those  fishes  had  passed  through  the  foaming  cas- 
cades which  we  had  visited  a  day  or  two  before, 
I  do  not  think  there  would  be  many  spots  left 


LEAVING    YOSEMITE   VALLEY.  183 

upon  them.  There  is  much  fording  to  be  done 
about  the  Yoseraite,  the  streams  being  narrow, 
deep  and  clear,  the  banks  often  very  steep,  and 
the  waters  have  quite  a  current  and  seem  so 
swashy  that  one  feels  as  if  there  were  surely  a 
swimming  prospect  ahead. 

There  is  a  little  plant,  of  very  thrifty  growth, 
known  as  the  Scotch  Cap  or  thimble  berry.  This 
covers  the  ground  in  some  places;  is  now  i;i 
bloom,  having  a  white  blossom.  The  berries 
will  be  very  plentiful  in  a  few  weeks.  My  late 
experience  has  cured  me  entirely  of  a  desire  to 
go  berry  hunting.  Birds  are  so  scarce  in  these 
high  altitudes  and  gummy  forests  that  fruit  is 
secure  from  their  depredations.  Wherever  there 
are  trees,  and  fields  of  grain  cultivated,  the 
birds  are  quite  numerous.  There  are  no  seedy 
weeds,  and  but  limited  undergrowth  in  these 
forests,  because  of  the  long  dry  season.  There  is 
nut  even  a  great  variety  of  trees,  what  there  are 
being  mostly  gum  trees,  and  standing  in  groups, 
very  free  from  underbrush;  still  the  shade  is 
thick  enough  to  be  complete.  Tourists  often 
remark  the  continued  fine  weather  of  this  climate; 


184  OVEK    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

one's  plans  are  never  frustrated  because  of  storms 
of  either  wind  or  rain.  If  the  liotels  are  crowded, 
and  a  room  cannot  be  obtained,  it  is  not  thought 
a  hardship  to  take  a  blanket  and  lie  down  any 
place  where  one's  person  is  safe.  The  children 
of  a  family  frequently  sleep  upon  the  open  porch 
of  the  house,  this  being  their  only  bedroom  for 
the  entire  summer  season.  I  was  observing  a 
bed  of  this  description,  where  the  children  — 
three  little  boys — had  just  risen  to  dress.  It 
was  a  delightfully  cool  morning,  bracing  and 
healthful,  and  a  family  of  dear  little  chickens 
came  upon  the  bed  and  cuddled  down  between 
the  blankets  and  pillows,  spreading  their  wings 
to  catch  the  animal  heat  which  had  not  escaped, 
at  the  same  time  cooing  and  saying  all  manner 
of  sweet  chickadee  things.  The  chickens  were 
up  in  the  morning  a  long  time  before  the  chil- 
dren were,  had  been  to  breakfast,  and  were  now 
ready  for  a  morning  nap. 

I  had  almost  forgotten  that  we  were  really 
leaving  the  glorious  old  Yosemite,  a  kind  of 
garden  of  Eden  without  cultivation;  but  we  must 
chat   a    little    while    slowly    winding    our   way 


LEAVING    YOSEMITE    VALLEY.  185 

through  the  shady  forest  and  across  deep-seated 
streams.  We  have  passed  the  great  light-colored 
rock  called  the  El  Capitan  —  that  is  if  we  can 
pass  it  while  in  the  valley.  Some  of  these  large 
rocks  are  like  the  moon  or  stars  —  one  may 
travel  half  the  length  of  the  vale,  still  they  will 
be  ever  present.  This  fact  goes  far  to  prove  their 
unappreciated  magnitude.  The  El  Capitan  is 
three  thousand  three  hundred  feet  high;  and  I 
will  venture  to  assert  that  it  is  the  most  singular 
formed  mass  of  matter  on  the  face  of  the  globe. 
One  thing  that  makes  it  appear  most  wonderful 
is  its  apparent  smoothness  and  the  fact  that  it 
differs  in  color  so  much  from  its  immediate  sur- 
roundings, being  the  shade  of  fine,  thick,  light- 
brown  wrapping  paper.  In  the  polished  sides 
of  this  monster,  niches  are  to  be  seen  where  good 
sized  trees  are  growing.  Coming  in  upon  the 
Coulterville  route,  imagination  conjures  up  a 
figure  upon  the  surface  of  this  bowlder  repre- 
senting a  man  with  priestly  robes  and  flowing 
beard.  This  figure  is  known  as  the  Wandering 
Jew.  One  feels  like  addressing  the  El  Capitan 
as  an  animated  creature,  although  it  has  not  the 


186  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

form  of  anything  in  the  heavens,  upon  the  earth, 
or  under  the  earth;  still  it  has  a  head,  face,  sides, 
top  and  sloping  back  part.  The  matter  that  was 
once  in  close  proximity  must  have  loosened  its 
hold  and  slid  into  the  abyss  below,  which  received 
the  retreating  earth,  leaving  these  mighty  side 
walls  and  low  valley. 

I  am  inclined  to  think  that  if  some  mining 
shaft  were  located  near,  pieces  of  El  Capitan  affin- 
ities might  be  discovered  a  few  hundred  feet 
below.  As  it  is,  its  individuality  is  as  marked 
as  if  there  had  never  been  another  particle  of 
rock  created  bearing  the  least  resemblance  to 
this  mighty  patrician.  There  are  discolored 
spots  upon  its  sides  suggesting  the  romantic 
idea  that  mother  nature,  in  some  of  her  quaking 
freaks,  had  upset  the  ink  bottle  from  a  nich  or 
window-sill,  and  its  contents  had  flowed  freely 
over  the  delicate  shades  of  El  Capitan.  Oppo- 
site is  the  Cathedral  Hock.  This  vast  pile  I 
admire  more  than  any  rock  in  the  valley  except 
the  Cap  of  Liberty.  Its  well  defined  spires,  its 
mos6  covered  sides,  color  and  general  shape  give 
it  the  appearance  of  a  ruined  cathedral,  grand 


LEAVING    TOSEMITE    VALLET.  187 

and  beautiful  even  in  desolation.  An  unsophis- 
ticated but  pretentious  guide  imposed  upon  the 
honest  credulity  of  a  party  of  tourists  by  stating 
that  these  sj)ires  were  called  the  Roman  Candles. 
This  rock,  although  opposite  the  El  Capitan,  and 
perhaps  a  mile  or  two  apart  and  a  river  flowing 
between,  are  as  different  in  quality,  color  and 
form  as  if  created  upon  different  planets.  Trees, 
grass  and  trailing  vines  have  sprung  up  among 
the  Cathedral  ruins,  and  the  body  of  the  sup- 
posed church  is  spotted  all  over  with  a  fine 
black  moss,  which  gives  it  the  appearance  of 
being  ornamented  with  black  velvet  buttons. 
Near  this  old  pile  the  beautiful  Bridal  Veil 
appears.  This  fall  has  also  a  voice,  but  differing 
so  much  from  the  others  that  one  can  hardly 
recognize  it  as  belonging  to  the  family  of  water- 
falls. It  is  a  clear,  distinct,  indiscribable  sound, 
more  like  that  made  by  the  running  gear  of 
machinery  than  like  the  falling  of  a  mighty 
sheet  of  water.  When  it  breaks  upon  the  sight 
it  seems  like  an  animated  creature  calculated  to 
enliven  and  give  variety  to  its  surroundings, 
those  dumb,  quiet,  magnificent,  rocky  giants. 


188  OVER    THE    PURPLE    IIILI.S. 

While  fording  one  of  the  many  streams  in  our 
path,  I  cast  my  eyes  up  to  the  fall,  and,  to  my 
delight  and  surprise,  saw  it  overshadowed  witli 
a  bright  halo,  like  those  represented  in  the 
imaginary  pictures  of  Christ  and  his  disciples. 
The  morning  sun  shining  upon  the  rising  mist 
caused  this  beautiful  phenomenon,  and  in  the 
after  part  of  the  day  brilliant  rainbows  encircle 
the  fall  like  a  skirt  of  shaded  cashmere.  This 
sheet  descends  nine  hundred  and  forty  feet,  is 
one  of  the  highest  among  the  slender  varietv 
and  appears  like  rockets  coming  down  head 
foremost,  the  wake  or  tail  lingering  behind  like 
that  of  a  comet.  It  has  also  a  sweet,  wholesome 
breath,  is  a  free-will  dispenser  of  the  ordinance 
of  baptism,  as  no  one  can  approach  its  majestic 
presence  without  submitting  to  this  sacred  rite. 
Its  misty  blessings  fall  alike  upon  the  just  and 
the  unjust,  as  much  as  to  say,  who  is  competent 
to  judge  the  wicked. 

We  now  pass  on,  enjoying  the  cool,  shady 
nooks,  the  flowing  rivulets,  and  secluded  moss 
covered  rocks,  the  trees  with  an  occasional  sin- 
ewy root  bared  just  to  give  one  an  idea  of  their 


LEAVING    YOSEMITE    VALLEY.  189 

grasping  power  upon  earth.  Nov;  we  are  again 
upon  one  of  those  fearful  mountain  trails;  not 
precipitous,  however,  but  .-tee}),  dusty  and  tilled 
with  rolling;  stones  which  gather  no  moss.  The 
mules  are  equal  to  the  occasion,  going  cautiously 
along,  stopping  stark  still  to  exchange  greetings 
with  others  of  their  kind  who  have,  with  much 
cunning  and  perversity,  hid  themselves  among 
the  rocks  until  the  hour  of  mule  hunting  had 
passed,  and  they  now  had  ventured  forth  to 
browse  and  graze  in  quiet  comfort.  Josephus, 
the  aged  historic  mule  which  I  rode,  proved 
himself  capable  of  the  passion  of  jealousy ;  for, 
after  seeing  the  others,  he  bolted  out  of  the  trail 
several  times  and  commenced  eating  the  brush 
as  if  he  intended  to  get  even  as  he  journeyed. 

I  reasoned  with  him;  stating,  as  best  I  could, 
that  many  conditions  arise  outside  of  mule 
society  that  are  unjust  and  very  galling;  but 
that  superior  creatures  often  submitted  uncom- 
plainingly to  those  conditions.  Notwithstand- 
ing all  this  fine  talk  I  rather  respected  the  mule 
for  showing  sufficient  sense  to  bolt  and  assert 
himself. 


190  OVEK    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

Upon  reaching  the  end  of  the  trail  we  find  an 
encampment  of t about  a  huudred  Chinamen  at 
work  making  the  new  road.  Here  I  beheld  my 
first  blue-tailed  lizzard.  The  colors  were  so 
decidedly  bright  and  blue  that  I  could  scarcely 
think  of  anything  else  for  an  hour.  Women  and 
girls  have  been  maliciously  accused,  by  the 
sterner  sex,  of  creating,  in  Berlin  wool,  blue- 
tailed  dogs  and  impossible  General  Washingtons, 
but  as  I  never  saw  one  of  the  aforesaid  dogs,  am 
inclined  to  think  it  a  wicked  and  slanderous 
invention  of  a  class  ever  ready  to  encourage  the 
most  frivolous  occupations  for  my  sex,  and  as 
ready  to  jeer  and  ridicule  the  worthless  results. 
We  are  perfectly  safe  in  producing  blue-tailed 
lizzards,  however,  although  I  could  scarcely 
have  believed  my  senses.  If  I  had  not  been  cred- 
ibly informed  that  they  are  a  distinct  speci  , 
and  plentiful  among  the  rocks  of  these  moun- 
tains, I  should  have  thought  this  one  an  acci- 
dent in  nature. 

Here  we  dismount,  turn  our  saddled  mules  out 
to  graze  while  waiting  for  the  incoming  passen- 
gers to  take  them  back  upon  the  trail  we  have 


LEAVING    YOSEMITE    VALLEY.  191 

just  traversed.  After  looking  about  for  awhile 
for  a  convenient  place  to  take  our  lunch,  one  of 
the  Chinamen  called  out,  "  John,  John,"  in 
order  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  gentleman, 
who  turned  and  followed  the  Celestial,  and  was 
shown  a  tent  apparently  fitted  up  for  the  occa- 
sion, as  there  was  a  large  flat  stone  for  a  table, 
this  being  surrounded  by  smaller  ones  for  seats. 
After  thanking  the  Chinaman,  and  congratulat- 
ing ourselves,  we  spread  the  board  and  took  our 
lunch.  The  Chinaman  brought  us  hot  tea  in 
little  China  bowls,  and  declined  taking  pay  or 
money  as  a  gift.  After  lunch  the  guide  bor- 
rowed from  the  Chinaman  a  box  for  me  to  sit 
upon,  and  I  had  found  a  shady  nook  beneath  a 
bank  and  was  chatting  with  a  resident  of  the 
mountains  and  our  guide,  two  middle  aged 
men,  possessing  much  local  information.  The 
younger  guides  were  over  in  the  road,  scuffling 
like  a  litter  of  half  grown  cur  pups,  and  swear- 
ing apparently  for  amusement,  just  as  people 
employ  any  accomplishment,  music  for  instance, 
for  their  own  enjoyment,  expecting  to  be  heard 
by  others  also.     After  a  while  we  were  startled 


192  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

by  noisy  conversation  and  the  sound  of  blows, 
as  if  the  playing  had  ended,  as  it  usually  does, 
in  an  angry  tight.  I  sprang  up  the  bank  which 
hid  the  contestants  from  view,  and  saw  a  China- 
man holding  fast  to  a  blanket,  while  one  of  the 
guides  was  kicking  him  most  unmercifully. 
The  Chinaman  came  twice  to  the  ground,  but 
made  no  resistance,  only  hastened  away  clinging 
to  the  blanket,  In  spite  of  my  veneration  and 
awe  for  everything  that  has  a  vote  and  wears 
breeches,  I  screamed  out,  "  What  are  you  doing, 
you  rascally  guide?  Stop  kicking  that  China- 
man!" And  he  did  stop,  and  if  he  had  not  I 
should  have  transformed  myself  into  a  setting 
hen  and  been  on  his  back  in  another  minute. 
Of  course  he  pretended  not  to  hear  anything  that 
had  been  remarked  by  outsiders,  and  began  to 
throw  stones  at  some  other  Celestials.  I  sincerely 
think  there  is  no  absudity  or  inconsistency  that 
is  equal  the  conceit  of  the  American  democrat. 
When  I,  with  a  woman's  impulse,  started  for 
the  field  of  action,  armed  with  the  instincts  of 
justice  and  humanity,  those  men  that  I  had 
been  talking  with  said  to  me,  "  Don't  go,  those 


LEAVING    YOSEMITE    VALLEY.  193 

fellows  may  insult  you.''''  "Great  guns!"  I 
replied,  "the  vanity  of  the  bewhiskered !  Why, 
sir,  a  donkey  might  bray  at  one,  or  kick  a  body, 
but  who  would  ever  think  of  this  act  as  an 
insult.  What  an  idea,  that  any  person  could  be 
insulted  by  words  comiug  from  the  mouth  of  a 
profane,  illiterate  boor,  because  he  belonged  to 
the  genus  pantaloons.  Those  ignorant,  blas- 
pheming asses;  why,  they  are  no  more  responsi- 
ble than  so  many  orang-outangs,  and  when  they 
become  physically  dangerous  should  be  placed 
in  irons,  as  they  usually  are,  and  led  out  and 
hanged  like  dogs,  as  many  of  them  are." 

While  this  conversation  was  going  on  for  the 
edification  of  the  supercillious  American  dem- 
ocrat, one  of  the  men  took  occasion  to  ask  me 
if  I  was  a  "free  lover."  'This  was  a  little  unex- 
pected digression  from  the  subject,  but  when  a 
woman  undertakes  to  reason  with  a  voter,  there 
is  no  answering  for  the  logical  results.  Said  I, 
"  if  I  say  I  am  a  free  lover,  of  course  you  will  say 
that  you  are  one  also,"'  and  before  he  had  time  to 
settle  this  point,  some  one  came  and  told  us 
what  caused  the  trouble  between  the  Chinaman 
13 


194  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

and  guide.  The  latter  had  taken  the  blanket 
without  permission  from  the  Celestial's  tent,  and 
the  Chinaman  had  money  rolled  up  in  his  blanket 
and  was  anxiously  looking  for  it  when  he  desired 
the  guide  to  get  off  his  blanket  ;  the  guide 
answered  that  he  should  not  do  it,  and  the  Chi- 
naman jerked  it  from  under  him,  this  exasper- 
ated the  dignity  of  the  insignificant  representa- 
tive of  the  superior  race  so  much  that  his  injured 
manhood  could  not  refrain  from  kicking  the  poor, 
skinny  old  Chinaman. 

While  I  was  doubly  engaged  righting  the 
wrongs  of  common  humanity  and  assailing  the 
prejudices  against  my  own  sex,  one  of  the 
younger  Chinamen  commenced  to  curse  the 
guides.  This  fellow's  attempt  to  profane  the 
Christian  Deity,  and  consign  his  enemies  to 
their  own  eternal  blazes,  was  the  most  complete 
farce  that  I  ever  witnessed,  and  I  laughed  heart- 
ily, notwithstanding  the  prospects  were  good  for 
a  bloody  riot.  The  Chinamen  wrere  gathered  in 
groups  all  over  the  encampment.  Their  angry 
voices  could  be  heard  vociferating  their  threats, 
and  the  guides  becoming  alarmed,  had  relapsed 


LEAVING    YOSEMITE    VALLEY.  195 

into  deathly  silence,  nervously  waiting  the  action 
of  the  hostile  Chinamen,  or  the  arrival  of  the 
expected  stages  loaded  with  passengers  which 
might  have  the  effect  to  put  a  stop  to  the  pro- 
ceedings. The  overseer  acknowledged  that  the 
Chinamen  were  getting  beyond  his  control. 
They  had  already  produced  several  pistols  among 
them,  a  fearful  looking  old  horse  pistol,  about 
two  feet  long.  Directly  the  profane  Chinaman 
who  tried  so  hard  to  imitate  the  guides,  came 
quietly  and  respectfully  up  to  me  and  talked  of 
the  row.  I  said  they  had  better  not  fight,  as 
that  would  make  great  trouble  and  get  some  of 
them  in  jail.  That  I  was  going  direct  to  Merced, 
■would  see  the  General  Superintendent,  and  likely 
he  would  discharge  the  rascally  guide  who  had 
abused  the  Chinaman.  That  good  people  did 
not  want  to  have  the  Chinamen  hurt,  and  would 
not  tolerate  the  fact  of  their  being  ill  treated. 
While  I  was  consoling  this  Celestial,  a  score  of 
these  little  men  came  and  seated  themselves  upon 
a  burnt  log  lying  near,  while  I  occupied  the  little 
cracker  box,  and  talked  words  of  comfort  and 
encouragement.      Presently  the   spokesman    of 


106  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

the  party  asked  me  to  repeat  what  I  had  said  to 
him,  which  I  did,  and  he  removed  his  hat,  thanked 
me  with  half  a  dozen  short  bows,  and  said  that 
he  would  go  and  tell  the  rest  of  his  countrymen, 
and  soon  after  their  voices  assumed  a  quiet,  peace- 
ful tone,  and  they  cast  pleasant  glances  at  me  all 
the  while  I  was  in  the  encampment. 

I  kept  my  word,  and  the  superintendent  went 
up  next  day  and  settled  the  difficulty  to  the  sat- 
isfaction of  the  Chinamen.  For  once  there 
was  an  unpleasantness  and  no  woman  at  the 
bottom  of  it,  but  one  at  the  top  acting  success- 
fully as  peace  commissioner.  After  waiting  full 
two  hours  for  the  stage*  we  were  again  upon  the 
road.  Among  the  incoming  passengers,  our 
Scotch  friend  discovered  a  countryman,  and 
although  they  were  not  acquainted  at  home,  they 
greeted  one  another  like  brothers. 

The  initiated  related  to  the  stranger  about  how 
the  trout  of  the  valley  were  to  be  captured,  stat- 
ing that  the  water  is  so  clear  and  deep  that  the 
line  must  be  inked  and  that  the  fly  must  be  black, 
as  they  do  not  .take  to  light  colored  bait  and 
require  different  management  entirely  from  the 


LEAVING    YOSEMITK    V ALLEY.  197 

fishes  at  home.  Now  we  are  fairly  out  upon  the 
Mariposa  Road,  one  of  the  best  mountain  thor- 
oughfares in  the  State.  The  timber  is  very  fine 
all  along  this  route,  and  one  can  but  regret  that 
at  present  it  is  inaccessible  for  commercial  pur- 
poses. Here,  in  these  forests,  I  saw  my  first  snow 
plant,  and  it  appeared  the  most  out  of  place  of 
anything  that  I  ever  observed  in  nature.  This 
plant  is  a  bulbous,  fungus  kind  of  a  growth, 
standing  about  eight  or  ten  inches  high,  and  in 
clusters  or  families  like  the  present  trees.  Per- 
haps vegetation  combines  its  strength  this  way, 
in  order  to  secure  more  moisture.  The  stem  of 
the  snow  plant  is  shaped  like  a  variety  of  cactus 
called  the  pyramid  cactus,  and  is  as  red  as  blood, 
and  upon  this  little  monument  small  bell  formed 
flowers  appear  at  regular  intervals,  but  close  as 
they  can  stand.  The  whole  plant  looks  like  red 
wax,  the  petals,  stamens,  all  being  of  a  dark, 
bright  red.  This  curious  vegetable,  without  a 
green  leaf  suggests  the  idea  that  it  might  be  a 
growing  monument,  springing  from  the  dry, 
brown  soil  to  honor  the  memory  and  blood  of 
heroes  and    martyrs  who  may  in  some  worthy 


198  OVER   THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

cause  have  moistened  the  soil  with  the  life  cur- 
rent. This  plant  frequently  appears  along  side 
of  patches  of  snow,  but  whether  it  rises  out  of 
the  snow,  I  am  unable  upon  reliable  authority 
to  state.  There  were  no  patches  of  snow  where 
I  saw  it  growing,  although  in  a  cool  altitude. 
At  a  certain  point  upon  the  road  a  large  flat 
stone  is  placed  upright  like  a  tombstone.  This 
is  said  to  be  eight  thousand  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea. 

We  reach  Clark's  at  six  o'clock,  a  hotel  owned 
by  the  company  and  kept  on  purpose  for  the 
accommodation  of  tourists.  Here  we  tarry  for 
the  night.  The  house  is  commodious  and  pleas- 
antly situated.  A  brisk  fire  is  made  every  night 
and  morning  in  a  large  open  fire-place.  At  this 
altitude  frost  appears  every  month  in  the  year. 
Trout  are  furnished  for  the  table  in  abundance, 
but  cooked  in  refuse  grease  in  such  a  manner, 
that  none  but  the  hardiest  could  retain  them 
upon  the  stomach.  It  is  a  disgrace  to  the  com- 
pany that  this  rare  and  dainty  dish,  supplied  so 
abundantly  in  this  locality  should  be  served  so 
as   to  be  unpalatable.      For  many  persons   the 


LEAVING    YOSEMITE    VALLEY.  191i 

fishes  have  as  great  a  charm  as  anything  in  the 
valley,  and  the  way  they  are  served  leaves  unfil- 
ing for  the  memory  but  disappointment  and 
disgust.  The  next  morning  we  find  saddled 
horses  waiting  for  us  to  climb  another  mountain 
trail,  a  distance  of  about  six  miles,  in  order  to 
6ee  the  Mariposa  Big  Trees,  the  grove  which  the 
government  donated  to  the  State  for  the  benefit 
of  the  public. 

We  have  another  enjoyable  forest  ride,  where 
the  sugar  pine  lifts  its  stately  head  to  the  sun 
and  spreads  its  graceful  branches,  sporting  as  if 
at  finger  tips,  a  cluster  of  the  largest  and  most 
beautiful  cones  among  the  pine  family.  There 
is  a  variety  known  as  the  Digger  pine  which 
bears  a  small  nut  used  by  the  Indians  as  an  arti- 
cle of  food.  The  nut  grows  between  the  scales 
of  the  pine  cone,  and  is  easily  rattled  out  upon 
a  cloth.  They  are  then  stored  in  cribs  made  of 
boughs  and  sticks,  something  like  a  big  rude 
corn  crib,  and  kept  for  use  at  all  seasons  of  the 
year.  At  eleven  o'clock  we  reach  a  spring  of 
this  delightful  mountain  water,  and  stop  for 
lunch,  supposing  that  we  are  at  the  Big  Trees. 


200  "\  ER    THE    PUBPLE    BILL8. 

Here  lies  one  fallen  giant,  a  victim  of  fire  which 
burned  its  roots,  loosened  its  hold  upon  earth, 
and  can  sod  it  to  topple  over.  A  wagon  could  be 
driven  the  distance  of  two  hundred  feet  upon 
this  prostrate  trunk.  We  reach  the  top  of  the 
fallen  log  by  means  of  a  ladder  of  the  length  of  a 
common  house  ladder  twelve  or  fourteen  feet. 
The  bark  is  beaten  into  a  kind  of  .down  by  the 
feet  of  tourists  and  looks  as  if  it  might  be  inval- 
uable for  mouse  nests. 

This  tree  is  called  Andrew  Johnson,  because  it 
leans  toward  the  South  and  because  its  top  was 
shattered  in  falling.  Our  guide  proves  to  be  a 
treasure.  He  is  middle  aged,  a  man  of  good 
.-ense  and  much  fine  humor,  takes  excellent  care 
of  his  horses,  and  helps  to  entertain  parties  with 
a  fund  of  jocular  stories  or  sound  information  if 
required.  While  we  were  taking  our  lunch  he 
told  how  the  bluejays  and  woodpeckers  make 
their  sandwiches.  They  first  peck  the  bark  of  a 
tree  full  of  holes,  then  proceed  to  fill  these  per- 
forations with  acorns;  these  are  then  left  until 
the  worms  begin  to  work  in  them,  when  the  birds 
consider  them  fit  for  use,  as  this  provides  them 


LEAVING    YOSEMITE    VALLEY.  201 

with  both  bread  and  meat  at  once  in  the  form  of 
a  sandwich.  He  also  related  what  he  declared 
was  a  fact  about  the  birds  filling  nuts  into  a 
hollow  tree;  that  he  discovered  them  at  work 
like  so  many  bees,  flying  back  and  forth;  that  he 
bored  a  hole  in  the  tree  where  it  would  strike  the 
hollow,  and  fastened  a  sack  at  the  opening;  that 
the  nuts  kept  rolling  into  this  sack,  and  that  he 
used  them  to  feed  his  fattening  swine.  When 
pressed  to  tell  how  and  when  the  birds  discov- 
ered this  fraudulent  operation,  he  refused  to  state, 
saying  that  there  was  no  use  of  his  trying  to  be 
entertaining,  because  we  were  so  skeptical.  I 
imagined  the  lonesome  cry  of  these  disgusted 
bluejays  when  they  discovered  that  the  bottom 
had  fallen  out  of  the  bin  holding  their  treasures, 
and  the  shrill  shriek  of  the  sorrowing  woodpecker 
as  he  lifted  his  fiery  smoking  cap  above  the  tops 
of  these  lofty  pines,  and  went  sailing  round 
chirping  a  disconsolate  wail,  evidently  so  demor- 
alized as  to  be  unable  to  determine  which  way  to 
fly  or  what  to  do  next.  Poor  birds!  poor  birds! 
Man's  inhumanity  to  birds,  etc. 

As  I  was  worrying  my  brain  trying  to  find 


202  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

something  to  rhyme  with  Burns  without  quoting 
his  direct  words,  I  cast  my  eyes  upward,  and  dis- 
covered an  opening  in  a  tree  about  twenty  feet 
from  the  ground,  and  this  place  was  filled  with 
uncorked  bottles,  clinched  in  so  firmly  that  if  our 
guide  had  told  us  that  they  were  placed  there  by 
the  avenging  bluejay,  and  driven  home  by  the 
angry  woodpecker,  I  should  have  been  half 
inclined  to  believe  the  story.  The  guide  did 
relate  to  us  the  circumstance  which  brought  the 
bottles  there  to  our  satisfaction.  When  a  party 
had  partaken  of  champagne  until  they  became 
merry,  they  made  bets  as  to  who  could  make  a 
bottle  stick,  and  what  we  saw  was  the  results. 
From  the  shallow  nature  of  the  cleft  in  the  tree 
one  would  think  it  almost  impossible  to  make  a 
bottle  stay;  he^ce  it  appeared  something  of  a 
feat,  and  in  al'  probability  several  efforts  were 
made  upon  each  subject  before  it  could  be  induced 
to  take  a  sacking  position.  There  is  a  small  log 
house  erected  at  this  point,  making  a  sleeping 
place  for  nuriters,  as  grizzly  bears  and  California 
lionaare  still  too  numerous  in  these  mountain 


LEAVING    YOSEM1TE    T ALLEY.  203 

retreats  to  think  of  trusting  one's  person  to  sleep 
without  protection. 

The  big  trees  in  this  location  are  mostly  named, 
many  of  them  after  the  different  Western  States. 
Indiana,  Ohio,  Iowa,  Illinois,  and  several  other 
States  were  represented.  Any  person  is  per- 
mitted to  name  the  trees,  as  it  makes  the  groves 
more  interesting.  Parties,  desiring  the  names 
to  become  permanent  must  send  a  sign  with  the 
cognomen  painted  on  it,  and  it  will  be  placed 
upon  the  tree.  Some  persons  have  sent  beautiful 
white  marble,  handsome  enough  for  a  door  plate. 
Some  of  the  names  are  upon  plated  metal,  but 
most  are  upon  jappaned  tin,  and  placed  high 
enough  upon  the  tree  to  prevent  malicious  depre- 
dations. 

After  our  lunch  and  story  telling  is  ended  we 
are  told  to  mount  our  horses  again,  that  we  are 
going  now  through  the  real  grove  of  big  trees. 
For  my  part  I  thought  with  P.  T.  Barnum,  that 
if  they  had  anything  larger  than  Andy  Johnson 
to  show  that  we  had  better  take  chloroform. 
These  trees  are  not  so  tall  in  proportion  as  the 
pine,  nor  are  they  as  deep  rooted;  and  if  a  fire 


204:  OVKK    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

gets  about  the  roots  their  hold  upon  earth  for  an 
upright  position  is  slight,  but  they  must  ever 
remain  a  wonder  for  the  world.  There  are  seven 
or  eight  hundred  in  this  grove,  and  this  number 
being;  so  near  together  is  no  less  a  wonder  than 
their  size.  They  are  just  the  color  of  the  earth, 
and  one  would  think  the  soil  upon  which  they 
stand  exhausted  forewer  from  producing  these 
monstrosities.  It  is  a  subject  of  much  regret 
that  these  trees  have  been  so  injured  by  fire;  but 
when  one  thinks  of  the  matter,  it  is  the  greatest 
wonder  of  all  how  they  could  possibly  escape 
being  burned  to  the  ground,  and  that  the  whole 
forest  has  not  perished  in  the  same  way  because 
of  the  long  dry  season,  these  trees  being  of  the 
most  inflammable  kinds  of  timber,  and  the  bark 
as  light  and  dry  as  punk.  The  reason  that  these 
forests  have  not  succumbed  to  fire  is  because 
there  is  very  little  underwood,  and  no  rank 
grasses  or  growth  of  vegetation  to  feed  the 
devouring  element  in  its  infancy  or  while  it  is 
creeping;  and  fire  does  not  climb  trees  well  until 
it  is  strong  as  a  giant,  backed  closely  by  allies 
and    immediate    reinforcements.     We    spend   a 


LEAVING    YOSEM1TE    VALLEY.  205 

couple  of  hours  in  looking  at  the  trees,  riding 
among  them.  I  will  say  little  about  the  size  of 
them,  for  there  are  regular  scientific  works  to  be 
had  giving  accurate  information;  but  one  of 
these  trees,  reader,  is  as  large  as  five  or  six  of 
the  largest  trees  you  ever  saw  put  together.  I 
fancied  that  our  whole  party  looked  wall-eyed 
for  several  days  after  visiting  the  big  trees.  It 
certainly  expands  one's  ideas  of  things,  and  makes 
one  almost  ready  to  believe  anything. 

We  play  circus  by  riding  our  horses  through  a 
fallen  tree  trunk  about  fifty  feet  long.  This  tree 
had  been  burned  out,  forming  a  cylinder  while 
lying  down.  Our  guide  shows  me  a  very  fine 
perfect  tree,  not  more  than  half  as  large  as  some 
other  —  perhaps  twelve  feet  in  diameter  —  and 
said  that  T  might  christen  tlys  with  some  name. 
I  called  it  Minnesota,  after  the  North  Star  State. 
Soon  we  come  to  another  giant  or  handsome  per- 
fect tree,  and  the  guide  called  to  the  Scotch  gen- 
tleman, saying  that  he  might  bestow  some  name 
upon  this.  The  Scotchman  lifted  his  hat  and 
bowed,  answering,  "No  such  desecration."  "  O, 
fie,"  said  I,  "  upon  your  Scotch  perversity;  name 


206  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

the  tree,  call  it  Robert  Burns."  "Well,"  said 
lie,  "you  name  it.1'  This,  I  think,  was  said  that 
the  diffident  gentlemen  might  not  be  called  upon 
for  anything  like  ceremony  in  the  presence  of 
the  company  —  such  a  majestic  platoon,  mounted' 
upon  dignified,  fierce-looking  steeds.  The  ani- 
mals had  all  halted,  waiting  the  action  of  the 
guide,  who  had  turned  about  to  settle  this  matter. 
I  then  took  advantage  of  the  audience,  and  called 
in  a  voice  as  if  addressing  a  thousand  persons, 
"  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  that  this  tree  shall  hence- 
forth and  forever  be  known  as  Eobert  Burns,  the 
peasant  poet  of  Scotland,  in  respect  to  the  Scotch 
gentleman  now  visiting  us;  any  person  having 
objections,  let  them  be  stated  now,  or  forever 
hereafter  hold  their  peace."  The  company  raised 
their  hats,  gave  three  cheers  for  Robert  Burns, 
and  went  their  way.  The  horses  now  begin  to 
realize  that  they  are  headed  homeward,  and 
quicken  their  steps  until  they  become  brisk 
walkers. 

At  six  p.  m.  we  are  again  at  Clark's,  where  we 
remain  over  night,  and  at  half-past  five  are  upon 
the  road  for  Merced.     The  obliging  driver  gave 


LEAVING    TOSEMITE    VALLEY.  207 

me  the  choice  of  a  seat  upon  the  outside,  and 
came  near  having  a  scene  with  a  San  Francisco 
ruffian  in  order  to  keep  his  promise.  Gallantry 
prevailed,  however,  even  toward  the  strong- 
minded,  and  I  take  the  seat  of  war  and  retain  it, 
while  the  ruffian  is  compelled  to  find  a  place  in 
another  vehicle  belonging  to  the  same  company. 
Upon  this  route  of  sixty-eight  miles  we  change 
horses  six  or  seven  times  and  reach  Merced  at 
five  o'clock.  The  coaches  are  new  and  hand- 
some, the  horses  are  selected  and  matched  with 
much  care  and  taste,  five  being  driven  at  once, 
three  leaders  and  two  wheelers.  In  one  of  the 
changes  a  Canadian  pony  was  brought  out  and 
placed  alongside  of  the  other  leaders.  I  imme- 
diately recognized  a  native  of  my  own  country 
and  watched  the  movements  of  this  compact 
built  piece  of  horse  flesh  with  much  interest. 
The  driver  says  that  this  little  creature  has  out- 
worked three  common  teams  already,  and  is  still 
good  for  a  summer's  labor.  It  had  such  a  baby 
or  colty  look  beside  the  other  horses,  that  I  just 
wish  it  were  possible  for  me  to  purchase  the 
creature   and    place    it  in    some   horse   heaven, 


208  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

abounding  in  clear  streams  and  alfalfa  grass, 
where  it  should  do  no  more  staging.  When 
stopping  to  change,  the  greatest  possible  speed 
was  used  in  getting  the  horses  out  of  harness  and 
the  fresh  ones  in,  as  the  driver  was  determined 
not  to  allow  the  stage  containing  the  San  Fran- 
cisco chap  to  pass.  A  passenger  became  inter- 
ested, dismounting  from  his  seat  upon  top  of  the 
coach  and  assisting  about  the  harness  every  time 
a  change  was  made.  The  driver,  a  good  fellow 
in  the  main,  showed  some  symptoms  of  emo- 
tional insanity  upon  this  occasion,  as  he  would 
let  nothing  pass  him  nor  permit  other  teams  to 
remain  long  ahead.  One  poor  old  codger  who 
was  somewhat  inspired  came  near  getting  a 
thrashing  for  running  his  horses  in  order  to  keep 
ahead  until  he  reached  his  own  home.  The 
driver  showed  us  a  ravine  where  his  team  saw 
a  <rrizzlv  bear  last  summer.  The  monster  was 
taking  his  breakfast  from  the  carcass  of  a  dead 
mule  which  was  lying  in  the  ravine.  The  horses 
saw  him  and  became  frantic;  they  started  upon  a 
run,  the  driver  found  it  impossible  to  hold  them, 
although  he  could   keep   them    upon   the   road, 


LEAVING    TOSEMITE    VALLEY.  209 

they  ran  all  the  way  to  the  next  station  and 
were  trembling  with  fear  and  excitement  when 
taken  from  the  harness,  casting  suspicious 
glances  about,  as  if  they  momently  expected  to 
be  eaten  alive.  There  was  but  one  passenger  in 
the  coach  and  the  driver  said  that  he  occupied 
all  the  seats  in  the  vehicle,  and  sometimes  all  of 
them  at  once.  There  was  no  time  for  an  expia- 
tion, and  the  passenger  did  not  find  out  the 
cause  of  the  unusual  haste  until  they  arrived  at 
the  station.  That  team  refused  afterwards  to 
pass  this  ravine  where  the  grizzly  breakfasted, 
and  were  changed  and  put  upon  another  route. 
I  am  half  inclined  to  think  that  those  horses 
had  been  demoralized  listening  to  bugaboo 
stories  told  by  superstitious  drivers  for  the 
entertainment  of  over  credulous  travelers.  The 
mountains  here  are  used  as  one  vast  range  for 
sheep  and  goats.  Skirmishes  occasionally  arise 
between  herders  as  to  whom  shall  retain  certain 
localities.  As  we  change  altitudes  the  mountain 
formation,  soil  and  vegetation  changes.  We 
pass  through  the  Fremont  estate,  the  famous 
Mariposa  grant.  There  was  once  a  fine  flourish- 
14 


210  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

ing  town  here,  but  like  most  of  its  mining 
cotemporaries,  has  fallen  into  decay  and  ruin. 
A  fifty  stamp  quartz  mill,  one  of  the  best  mod- 
ern structures  in  this  State,  stands  the  reverses 
<>f  time  like  the  dignified  head  of  a  great  ] 
only  the  more  susceptible  parts  showing  decline, 
such  as  the  window  glass  and  discoloring  of  the 
paint.  The  little  churches  remind  me  of  the 
fine  weather-worn  physiognomies  of  some  of  the 
old  bachelors  of  this  country,  known  as  the 
knights  of  forty-nine,  and  it  will  be  the  regret 
of  my  life  that  I  did  not  tarry  a  week  at  Mari- 
posa. The  climate  is  in  the  altitude  to  be  most 
delightful,  and  the  bachelors  ever  ready  to  sacri- 
fice themselves  in  order  to  impart  information 
to  lady  writers.  Many  of  these  heroes  still  live, 
many  of  them  wealthy  and  gallant,  with  good 
health  and  fine  eyes;  men  who  have  braved  the 
temptations  of  frontier  life  and  come  safe  and 
sound  through  the  lonely  clouds  of  unsocial  life 
and  years  of  social  privations.  I  have  met  many 
such  and  sometimes  regret  that  I  am  not  a 
marrying  subject.  Believing  as  I  do  in  the  Dar- 
winian theory,  and  knowing  as  I  do  that  I  have 


LEAVING    YOSEMTTE   VALLEY.  211 

not  thrown  off  the  Bitting  hen  stage  of  evolu- 
tion,  I  will  accept  no  offer  of  marriage  until  hen 
pecking  becomes  more  popular.  We  stop  but 
ten  minutes  at  this  delightful,  at  the  same  time 
dilapidated,  town.  At  two  o'clock  we  dine  at  a 
little  place  called  Hornitos,  a  Spanish  settlement. 
The  hotel  is  kept  by  a  Scotchman  whose  name  is 
McDougal.  Having  a  real  woman  for  a  wife 
this  house  is  well  kept,  one  of  the  best  in  the 
State.  There  is  little  in  this  world  successfully 
accomplished  without  the  refining  influence  and 
personal  assistance  of  woman,  and  this  house  is 
a  worthy  example;  the  food  is  first  class,  and 
one  does  not  think  the  charges  high  for  such 
accommodations,  and  in  this  location.  Nearing 
the  plains,  the  whole  nature  of  the  landscape 
becomes  changed;  the  water  is  poor,  and  already 
we  begin  to  thirst  for  the  beautiful  Merced  and 
its  pebbly  tributaries.  The  plains  here  for 
several  miles  are  the  most  fearfully  barren 
country  under  the  sun;  nothing  more  so  unless 
it  be  a  sandy  desert.  To  be  sure  the  grass 
springs  up  once  a  year  green  and  fresh;  it  is 
short   lived,   however,  leaving  a  dead  brown  all 


212  OVER   THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

over  the  earth,  relieved  by  a  rocky  formation  of 
a  most  dismal  aspect,  appearing  like  an  old 
cemetery  with  its  head  and  footstones  leaning 
every  way,  evincing  the  neglect  that  comes  to 
the  dead  with  years.  The  only  living  thing  seen 
upon  this  desolate  waste  is  the  small  brown 
birds  which  live  like  highway  robbers,  by 
what  they  can  pick  up  on  the  road.  Notwith- 
standing all  this  barrenness,  the  locality  is 
mostly  productive,  and  with  irrigation,  can  be 
made  to  produce  like  a  garden,  and  much  of  this 
very  kind  of  desolation  has  been  improved 
within  the  last  five  years.  Trees  can  be  grown 
so  rapidly  that  little  is  thought  of  settling  up 
some  of  these  barrens  where  water  can  be  pro- 
cured. We  reach  Merced  at  five,  having  beaten 
the  other  stage  one  hour,  and  driven  sixty-eight 
miles  in  ten  hours.  The  party  look  like  wilted 
poppies,  or  a  dust-covered,  faded  bouquet,  and 
pass  oft'  sullenly  to  their  rooms,  without  ex- 
changing a  word,  only  wondering  that  any  one 
could  endure  all  this  fatigue  and  find  themselves 
alive  in  the  morning. 


THE  VISALIA  BRAXCH   OF   THE   CEN- 
TRAL PACIFIC  RAILED  AD. 

LATHROP  is  the  name  of  the  station  where 
this  branch  connects  with  the  Central  Pa- 
cific Railroad.  The  towns  Modesto,  Merced, 
Fresno,  Yisalia  and  Bakersfield  are  all  upon  this 
line  of  road.  Much  of  the  country  presents  a 
dreary,  barren  appearance;  but  a  chain  of  moun- 
tains are  in  sight,  containing  a  supply  of  water 
that  is  to  be  the  means  of  settling  up  these  vast 
plains.  For  miles  the  surface  is  as  level  as  a 
house  floor,  appearing  like  packed  sand.  A  true 
statement  in  regard  to  this  smoothness  seems 
almost  incredible.  It  could  not  have  been 
reduced  to  a  more  perfect  level  with  a  field 
roller.  Adjoining  this  plain  little  mounds  ap- 
pear, at  first  very  1<av\  increasing  in  size  until 
(213) 


214  OVER   THE    PURPLE   HILLS. 

they  remind  one  of  the  prairie  dog  villages  or 
musk-rat  tenements;  this  formation  continues 
for  miles.  At  first  I  thought  some  farmer  had 
dumped  compost  in  heaps  upon  the  ground, 
leaving  it  to  decompose  for  the  purpose  of  en- 
riching the  soil,  but  as  the  train  whirls  past 
thousands  of  acres  of  these  little  hillocks  I  begin 
to  think  that  it  is  another  of  California's  mon- 
strosities. Gradually  these  mounds  become  less, 
disappearing  for  the  wonderful  smooth '  level. 
These  singular  features  must  have  been  formed 
by  the  action  of  water  upon  a  loose,  movable  soil. 
In  spite  of  the  dreary,  barren  appearance  of  the 
great  plains  they  are  becoming  settled  much 
faster  than  one  would  suppose  if  not  acquainted 
with  their  real  resources.  Little  groves  of 
shades  are  appearing  along,  nearest  the  foot-hills, 
gradually  pushing  out  upon  the  open  plains, 
dwellings  .nestle  in  these  shades,  making  an 
oasis  of  fertility  upon  the  hitherto  bleak  desert. 
Shade  and  fruit  trees  can  be  grown  so  rapidly 
that  the  supply  of  water  and  a  title  to  the  land 
are  the  most  important  things  to  be  considered; 
for  legislative  acts  take  away  the  necessity  of 


VISAL1A    BRANCH    RAILROAD.  215 

fencing,  and  the  soil  can  be  tilled  by  machinery 
almost  entirely.  The  steam  plow  may  be  driven 
to  great  advantage,  and  there  are  neither  sticks 
nor  stones  to  interfere  with  reaper  and  mower; 
and  the  fertility  of  this  apparently  barren  soil  is 
not  to  be  questioned,  as  it  lias  been  thoroughly 
tested. 

These  plains  were  formerly  used  entirely  for 
grazing  purposes.  Herdsmen  came  with  large 
droves  of  cattle  that  fed  upon  the  tender  grass 
that  came  forth  during  the  winter  rains.  At 
present  legislation  has  been  in  fa  via-  of  protect- 
ing the  agricultural  interests,  and  the  cattle,  like 
the  Indians,  must  be  driven  further  away  into 
inaccessible  wilds  or  where  the  jugged  formation 
makes  the  prospect  for  cultivation  quite  hope- 
less. 

Modesto  is  a  trading  point  for  Stanislaus 
county  as  well  as  the  county  seat.  Merced  is 
also  a  county  seat,  and  is  rejoicing  in  a  new  and 
very  hamdsome  court  house.  This  is  one  of  the 
principal  points  from  which  the  famous  Ybse- 
mite  is  reached.  It  is  surrounded  for  miles  by 
wheat  fields,  and   shades  are  extensively  planted. 


216  OVER   THE    PURPLE   HILLS. 

Fresno  is  another  county  seat,  belonging  to 
Fresno  county.  This  is  a  flourishing  shanty 
town  just  in  that  stage  of  semi-civilization  when 
feminine  virtue  is  a  thing  fearful  to  contemplate. 
A  lady  book  agent  relates  a  good  story  of  this 
place,  and  as  it  contains  a  moral  I  will  reproduce 
it  for  the  benefit  of  other  rural  localities.  The 
lady  put  up  at  the  hotel  and  remained  for  several 
days;  none  of  the  women  about  the  house  ven- 
tured to  speak  to  her,  and  only  cast  sidelong 
glances  u  of  a  d red ful  suz  "  nature.  One  after- 
noon a  party  of  a  dozen  or  more  of  these  ma- 
trons and  maids  had  convened  for  some  kind  of 
a  buzzing  bee.  Few  of  them  had  been  favored 
with  a  sight  so  rare  and  strange  as  a  woman 
traveling  without  the  protection  of  corduroy, 
and  some  of  them  desired  to  get  a  peep  at  the 
creature.  The  woman  of  the  house,  poor  thing, 
by  the  way,  is  a  married  woman  and  had  set  her 
face  against  single  women  who  travel  alone  and 
put  up  at  hotels,  fearing  that  in  spite  of  her 
charms  that  another  woman  could,  if  so  disposed, 
take  advantage  of  the  infirm aties  of  her  John; 
so  of  course,  her  energies  were  exerted  to  pro- 


VISALIA    BRANCH    RAILROAD.  217 

tect  John,  which  was  all  right  and  proper;  just 
as  it  should  be.  The  protection  is  much  more 
frequently  upon  this  hand  then  upon  the  other, 
notwithstanding  the  assumption  of  all  Johns  to 
the  contrary.  Well,  to  the  story:  The  dame 
informed  her  guests  that  there  was  an  aperture 
in  the  door  of  the  lady's  room,  one  that  she  had 
caused  to  he  made  for  reasons  hest  known  to 
herself;  that  the  company  could  repair  to  the 
second  floor  and  tile  along  the  hall  to  the  front 
porch,  every  one  taking  a  peep  as  she  passed. 
Each  one  placed  her  hands  under  her  bustle,  as 
if  to  keep  them  unspotted  from  all  wickedness 
on  venturing  one  eye  upon  a  thing  of  so  doubt- 
ful a  nature.  Unfortunately,  but  quite  naturally 
the  scene  proved  too  ridiculous  for  the  gravity 
of  some  of  the  younger  ones,  who  giggled  out- 
right  when  the  first  brave  was  peeping.  The 
lady,  upon  hearing  the  noise  in  the  hall,  open 
her  door  very  unexpectedly  before  the  fir>t  of 
the  file  had  time  to  resume  a  normal  attitude. 
The  girls  snickered,  the  matrons  were  struck 
dumb  with  suppressed  virtue,  while  they  leaned 
their  backs  against  the  wall  and  gazed  until  the 


218  OVER   THE    PURPLE   HILLS. 

« 

lady  had  made  a  run  down  a  flight  of  stairs, 
given  some  order  and  returned.  Such  virtue 
and  awe  are  perfectly  awful. 

I  had,  myself,  some  serious  difficulty  in 
conforming  to  the  local  customs  of  this  particu- 
lar place.  The  train  reached  this  point  at  mid- 
night and  a  public  vehicle  conveys  passengers 
to  a  hotel.  Besides  myself,  there  was  another 
individual  possessed  of  sufficient  audacity  to  be 
a  female  and  to  arrive  at  this  town  at  that  un- 
seemly hour  of  the  night.  This  woman  was  a 
southwesterner,  of  the  lean,  lank  kind;  one 
whose  forefathers  had  been  reared  among  the 
North  Carolina  pines,  and  had  caught  the  inspi- 
ration for  a  lofty  carriage.  She  was  so  destitute 
of  adipose  tissue  that  I  thought  she  was  in  the 
last  stages  of  consumption.  Thin  as  a  shadow, 
with  glassy  black  eyes,  she  was  anything  but  a 
pleasing  spectacle  to  encounter  at  this  stilly 
hour  of  night.  In  due  time  we  were  seated  in 
the  parlor,  waiting  to  be  shown  to  our  rooms. 
The  skeleton  woman  had  asked  several  charac- 
teristic  questions;    such   as,    were    my    parents 


VISALIA    BRANCH    KAILKOAD.  219 

alive  and  well,  whether  I  did  not  want  to  see 
them,  etc. 

I  was  tired,  sleepy,  and  not  particularly  amia- 
ble, and  feeling  the  iron  grasp  of  social  intoler- 
ance, I  rushed  out  of  the  room  into  the  bar, 
supposed  to  be  headquarters,  in  order  to  find 
some  one  to  show  us  rooms.  The  first  thing 
that  burst  upon  my  sleepy  vision  was  a  row  of 
men  standing  at  the  counter  with  glasses  raised 
ready  to  take  a  drink.  Said  I  to  the  man  behind 
the  bar,  "Why  don't  you  show  us  women  our 
rooms?  What  is  your  object  in  keeping  us  sit- 
ting up  the  rest  of  the  night?"  The  proprietor 
answered  in  an  apolegetic  tone,  "We  only  came 
in  here  to  register  our  names,  ma'am."  "Well," 
said  I,  "it  takes  a  very  long  time  for  you  to 
register,  considering  that  you  are  supposed  to 
only  be  able  to  make  your  mark.1'  Said  he,  "  It 
took  some  time  to  mix  the  fluids."  Said  I, 
"Yes,  and  it  will  take  more  time  to  wipe  those 
glasses."  The  fellow  trembled,  but  managed  to 
wipe  the  gla.-ses,  casting  fearful  glances  at  me  in 
the  meantime.  At  last  lie  looked  for  a  room 
and   returned,  saying  that   there   was   but   one 


220  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILL-. 

vacant,  and  asked  me  if  I  would  have  any  objec- 
tion to  sharing  my  bed  with  the  strange  woman. 
"  Great  guns!''  I  exclaimed,  "  I  would  as  soon 
lie  down  in  the  embrace  of  death.  If  you  had 
not  rooms  for  us,  why  did  you  bring  us  here  and 
never  notify  us  until  everybody  is  in  bed  at  the 
other  public  houses?"  I  made  use  of  some  of 
the  most  decided  expressions  that  I  had  ever 
added  to  my  vocabulary.  The  result  was  that  I 
was  shown  the  room  without  more  words.  I 
felt  a  little  uneasy  for  the  comfort  of  the  other 
woman,  fearing  that  she  might  die  before 
morning,  but  that  uneasiness  did  not  amount  to 
enough  to  turn  my  room  into  a  public  hospital. 
I  afterwards  learned  that  she  was  hung  upon  a 
hook  in  the  hall  to  keep  the  breeze  from  wafting 
her  away  in  the  dark;  at  daylight  she  was  taken 
down  and  placed  in  a  reclining  position  upon  a 
sofa  with  her  extremities  upon  the  floor;  in  this 
attitude  she  was  found  when  the  servants  opened 
the  parlor  door  in  the  morning.  I  was  told 
afterward  that  this  woman  was  not  an  invalid; 
that  this  thinness  was  normal;  that  she  had  the 
nervous    vital    temperament,   and   could    adapt 


VISALIA    BRANCH    RAILROAD.  221 

herself  to  almost  any  condition  or  circumstance. 
While  I  tarried  here  the  hotel  proprietor  would 
dodge  involuntarily  every  time  he  saw  me  com- 
ing, always  finding  business  in  another  direction. 
I  occasionally  meet  a  wedding  party  at  hotels 
where  I  am  stopping,  and  can  always  tell  them 
from  other  people  because  the  waiter  in  the 
dining-room  tips  up  the  chairs  at  their  table, 
and  because  the  bride  hangs  on  the  bridegroom's 
arm  in  a  languishing  manner.  This  looks  very 
silly,  and  my  opinion  is  that  the  beauty  of  being 
newly  married  is  to  behave  as  if  it  were  nothing 
unusual;  appear  as  much  like  old  married  folks 
as  possible,  not  speaking  or  taking  any  notice  of 
one  another  only  when  it  is  impossible  to  avoid 
it.  I  have  just  another  word  to  say  in  regard  to 
young  people  marrying — that  is,  that  lady 
teachers  shall  not  marry  men  who  are  teachers 
also,  it  is  not  a  profitable  cross.  Supposing  the 
children  should  inherit  a  double  dose  of  pedantry 
and  be  obliged  from  early  life  to  wear  glasses 
and  walk  stiff-legged,  what  would  they  be  good 
for?  At  Tulare  I  was  apprised  of  a  singular  cir- 
cumstance that  may  be  of  public  interest;  that 


222  OVER   THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

there  is  a  swine-herder  in  that  vicinity  by  the 
name  of  Ham,  black  by  name  and  nature,  truly 
a  queer  coincidence.  Visalia,  the  county  seat  of 
Tulare  county,  lies  about  a  mile  from  the  rail- 
road. It  has  three  thousand  inhabitants,  mostly 
southerners  and  southwesterns.  There  is  a  great 
number  of  old  men  in  this  place;  likely  those 
who  have  been  impoverished  by  the  calamities 
of  war  and  found  homes  here  in  this  warm  cli- 
mate where  less  exertion  is  required  to  procure  a 
livlihood,  and  the  warm  climate  is  conducive  to 
longevity.  Yisalia  and  the  country  around  has 
the  most  beautiful  and  extensive  groves  of  the 
native  oak  that  I  have  observed  in  the  whole 
State  of  California.  The  inhabitants  have  had 
the  bad  taste  to  cut  down  many  of  these  elegant 
trees  and  plant  little  stripling  fancy  shades  in 
their  places.  These  noble  trees  were  made  on 
purpose  to  shade  the  earth  and  form  an  asylum 
for  man  and  other  animals,  and  no  ornamental 
tree  can  ever  serve  this  purpose  as  well.  Wheat 
is  grown  extensively  in  this  region.  The  grapes 
are  too  sweet  for  wine  making,  are  only  fit  for 
raisins.     The  weather  gets  very  hot  during  sum- 


VI8ALIA    BRANCH    RAILROAD.  223 

mer,  being  away  from  ocean  breezes  and  the 
altitude  is  not  sufficient  to  modify  a  tropical  sun 
as  it  does  in  some  localities.  While  staying  in 
this  place  I  had  a  cat  adventure  which  I  will 
relate,  as  it  may  throw  some  light  upon  the 
habits  of  domestic  animals  in  this  region.  My 
window  opened  upon  the  roof  of  another  part 
of  the  building;  at  midnight  I  heard  a  sound  as 
if  some  person  were  trying  to  get  in.  Spring- 
ing from  my  bed  in  terror,  I  exclaimed,  "Who 
is  there?"  at  the  same  time  passing  my  head  out 
of  the  casement.  I  saw  nothing  but  a  large 
yellow  cat,  and  it  answered  in  the  most  placid 
manner  with  a  long  rolling  purr.  I  said  to  him, 
"What  are  you  doing  around  here  at  this  time 
of  night."  The  cat  answered  meekly,  as  well  as 
cats  can,  that  he  was  looking  for  another  feline 
which  had  been  lost  for  several  days.  I  accepted 
this  as  an  excuse,  thinking  it  better  than  none, 
but  closed  my  window,  not  however  without 
saying  a  few  words  of  comfort  to  the  lonely  wan- 
derer that  duty  called  into  this  midnight  service. 


MONTEREY. 

THIS  quaint  old  town  was  the  former  county 
seat  of  Monterey  county.  It  is  handsomely 
situated  upon  the  southern  part  of  the  bay  of  the 
same  name  ;  has  nearly  or  quite  four  thousand 
::ihabitants,  and  is  one  of  the  most  wonderfully 
contrived  collections  of  houses  to  be  seen  this 
side  of  Mexico.  If  the  buildings  had  been 
dropped  down  from  the  moon,  one  house  at  a 
time,  it  could  not  present  a  more  deranged  con- 
glomeration. They  are  mostly  of  the  old  Span- 
ish  style,  the  material  adobe,  the  shape  long,  low 
and  porched,  and  plastered  upon  the  outside  ; 
white  in  color,  with  tiled  roofs,  and  little  prism 
like  windows  set  in  the  thick  walls  with  iron 
bars  running  up  and  down  like  those  on  our 
insane  asylums.  The  rafters  for  the  roofs  are 
(224) 


MONTEREY.  225 

tied  in  place  by  thongs  of  un tanned  bullock's 
hide,  which  have  stood  the  storms  of  a  century, 
and  may  be  good  for  another.  The  tiled  roofs 
are  a  great  curiosity  to  persons  not  accustomed 
to  seeing  them.  The  tiles  are  of  a  light  brick  or 
cinnamon  color,  and  look  like  long  earthen  flower 
pots,  split  in  two  lengthwise,  or  like  a  length  of 
red  earthen  stove  pipe  (if  one  can  imagine  such 
a  thing\  and  then  split  it  lengthwise.  The 
lower  row  placed  with  concave  side  upwards,  the 
upper  row  with  concave  side  downwards,  forming 
little  troughs  for  carrying  off  the  water.  The 
bark  of  trees  have  been  used  in  the  same  manner 
for  primitive  dwellings  and  out  buildings.  In 
fact  these  tiles  suggest  the  idea  of  huge  rolls  of 
cinnamon  bark  placed  upon  the  roof  to<cure. 

Some  of  these  Monterey  structures  stretch 
half  the  length  of  a  block  or  more,  with  no  way 
of  reaching  the  back  yard,  unless  entrance  is 
made  at  the  front  door,  or  one  must  pass  clear 
around  "  Robin  Hood's  barn."  The  doors  and 
windows  occur  at  regular  intervals,  and  the 
fronts  have  the  strictly  secluded  appearance  of  a 
nunnerv.  I  am  not  certain  whether  one  of  these 
15 


226  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS 

blocks  are  owned  by  a  single  proprietor,  or  if 
the  ancient  builder  joined  walls  with  his  neigh- 
bor; if  the  latter  supposition  be  true,  the  joining 
was  very  smoothly  done. 

Observing  a  card  upon  one  of  the  numerous 
doors,  announcing  "To  let,  or  for  sale,"  I  won- 
dered if  this  referred  to  one  compartment  or  the 
whole  lona-  row.  There  is  no  regularitv  in  the 
streets.  In  some  places  the  thoroughfare  must 
continue  alongside  of  a  house  very  straight,  then 
its  course  is  interrupted  by  a  three  cornered 
structure  standing  just  where  the  road  should 
continue  ;  the  consequence  is,  there  is  a  branch- 
ing off  each  side  of  the  impediment,  and  an  angle 
taken  in  some  unexpected  direction.  A  few 
buildings  stand  protruding  cornerwise  into  the 
street.  One  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  every 
man  caused  his  lot  to  face  which  way  it  best 
pleased  him,  and  that  no  two  fronts  consecutively 
in  one  direction.  A  few  of  the  gardens  are 
enclosed  with  a  wall  of  stone  five  or  six  feet  in 
height.  These  have  the  appearance  of  jail  yards, 
and  completely  obscure  from  sight  the  growth 
of  vegetation  in  them.     These  enclosures  include 


MONTEREY.  227 

the  back  part  of  the  house,  and  have  one  other 
entrance,  a  ponderous  old  fashioned  gate,  which 
is  falling  into  decay,  having  a  slothful,  neg- 
lected appearance.  Most  of  them  have  outlived 
their  curious  hinges  and  are  propped  up  by  a  rail 
or  in  some  unwarlike  manner,  for  everything 
about  the  place  proves  the  necessity  of  fortifica- 
tions in  an  earlv  day  again-t  Indians,  wild  beasts 
and  the  thieving  laymen  of  the  established  church. 
The  population  of  Monterey  is  as  mixed  and 
irregular  as  are  its  buildings  and  thoroughfares; 
being  composed  of  Spaniards,  Italians,  Old  Cal- 
ifornians,  Digger  Indians.  French,  German,  Irish, 
English  and  Americans.  The  Catholic  is  the 
prevailing  faith,  hence  newspapers  have  a  fitful 
existence  and  generally  die  young.  This  place 
was  the  early  home  of  Yasques.  the  notorious 
robber.  For  a  general  thing  the  Spaniards  seem 
to  have  no  visible  means  of  support,  [f  a  circus 
comes  that  way  their  last  chicken  will  be  sold  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  the  entertainment.  To 
justify  themselves  in  becoming  marauders,  many 
of  them  speak  of  the  American  with  a  sense  of 
injury,  after  the  manner  of  the  "noble  red  man," 


228  OVER    THE   PURPLE   HILLS. 

as  if  he  were  an  unwelcome  intruder  who  had 
defrauded  them  of  their  birth-right  and  swindled 
them  out  of  the  chance  of  competition  in  the 
race  of  life.  The  idiosyncracies  of  this  people 
are  as  peculiar  as  their  structures  and  streets. 

I  could  scarcely  leave  my  hotel  and  turn  a 
corner  without  being  lost,  in  the  tortuous  mean- 
derings  of  the  deviating  ways  of  its  thorough- 
fares. A  young  goose  strayed  from  the  flock 
within  the  sound  of  their  answering  voices 
screamed  and  called  for  half  a  day.  evidently  in 
great  trouble,  running  back  and  forth  and  return- 
ing every  few  minutes  to  the  spot  from  whence 
she  started.  At  last  I  concluded  that  it  was 
hardly  just  to  expect  a  goose  to  know  more  of 
these  streets  than  the  people  do,  although  hatch- 
ed and  bred  within  its  crooked  and  uncertain 
precincts,  so  1  started  off  and  spent  half  an  hour 
in  getting  her  hack  to  her  sympathizing  kindred. 
When  the  clan  saw  us  coming  they  presented  a 
file  of  snowy  breasts  and  made  very  low  bows, 
telling  in  goose  latin  as  best  they  could,  how 
pleased  the}  wry,-  that  the  prodigal  goose  had 
returned.      Every    one    expressed    thanks    to    me 


MONTEREY.  - '_  ; 

and  congratulations  to  her.  I  replied  in  English 
that  it  was  no  trouble  at  all,  that  I  was  tired  of 
hearing  her  lonesome  call  and  the  sorrowful  echo, 
and  when  I  walked  away,  fancied  that  one  old 
gander  tried  to  quote  what  he  remembered  of 
"Little  Breeches,"  but  his  mouth  was  so  full  of 
the  tender  blades  of  grass,  that  I  could  not  dis- 
tinctly understand. 

Monterey  will  now  he  somewhat  aroused  from 
its  conservative  lethargy,  as  it  is  the  terminus  of 
a  railroad  connecting  it  with  San  Francisco  and 
many  of  the  intervening  towns  upon  the  coast. 
This  port  was  formerly  quite  a  resort  for  whales, 
which  came  in  from  the  ocean  for  the  chance  of 
procuring  food  in  the  more  shallow  waters  of  the 
bay.  It  is  said  that  with  this  creature  the  period 
of  gestation  commences  in  the  North,  and  is 
finished  in  the  Southern  seas,  where  the  young- 
ones  can  be  received  with  a  warm  bath;  that  this 
16  one  of  their  stopping  places  upon  their  transil 
from  ocean  to  ocean;  that  they  do  not  call  as 
frequently  as  tiny  did  twenty  years  ago,  because 
they  have  been  mercilessly  slaughtered  here. 
However,  I  never  hear  of  Monterey  but  that  they 


230  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

have  taken  another  whale,  which  the  whole  popu- 
lation turn  out  to  see,  as  if  it  were  a  novelty. 
Perhaps  the  difference  in  the  size  of  these  crea- 
tures makes  it  a  novelty  to  the  most  experienced. 
The  beach  is  strewn  with  the  bleaching  bones  of 
these  sea  monsters,  and  sections  of  vertebra  a 
foot  across  are  converted  into  sidewalks,  stretch- 
ing half  a  block,  or  the  length  of  an  adobe  house. 
It  is  supposed  that  only  inexperienced,  restless 
young  whales,,  which  refuse  to  follow  the  advice 
of  their  seniors,  now  put  in  at  this  landing, 
where  so  many  have  lost  their  lives.  The  town 
of  Monterey  is  backed  by  a  fine  tract  of  farming 
land,  known  as  Salinus  Valley.  Vast  quantities 
of  wheat  are  raised  here.  The  new  railroad  is 
just  completed,  and  upon  the  above  date  a  large 
vessel  had  arrived,  to  be  loaded  with  wheat  for 
the  Liverpool  market.  The  arrival  was  hailed 
as  quite  an  event,  as  no  vessel  of  this  importance 
had  been  seen  in  this  port  within  the  recollection 
of  the  middle  aged  of  the  present  generation. 
The  wharves  were  not  in  passable  condition,  but 
men  were  set  to  work  at  once  to  improve  them, 


MONTEREY.  231 

and  new  ones  are  in  course  of  construction.  An 
old  rusty  cannon  was  brought  out,  and  a  few 
salutes  fired  in  honor  of  the  event.  In  the  course 
of  six  hours  the  entire  population  had  visited  the 
incomplete  wharf  to  behold  the  beautiful  stranger, 
which  was  anchored  at  such  a  provoking  distance 
that  one  could  not  decipher  the  name;  and  as 
there  were  so  many  rash  statements  made  in 
regard  to  the  number  of  tons  the  vessel  would 
carry,  I  did  not  dare  trust  to  heresay  for  the 
name  of  the  respected  visitor. 

The  great  variety  of  mosses  and  shells  found 
in  this  bay  are  among  the  curiosities  of  pleasure 
seekers  who  come  to  this  coast,  and  also  of  those 
who  are  residents  of  the  State.  Many  come  here 
during  summer  and  cam])  out,  that  they  may 
better  enjoy  the  delightful  wonders  of  the  sea. 
The  varigated  abalone  shell  is  found  here  and 
worked  into  very  pretty  jewelry  by  the  Spaniards, 
and  sold  surprisingly  low,  con  sideling  the  fact 
that  they  are  manufactured  by  hand  —  a  very 
tedious  process.  I  was  informed  by  a  Yankee 
jeweler  that  they  could  be  made  with  the  help 


282 


OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 


of  a  lathe,  which  will  greatly  facilitate  the  pro- 
cess,   and    give    the    poor    conservative   native 
another  cause  for  condemning  American  innova- 
tion and  enterprise. 
October. 


VALLEJO. 


VALLEJO  is  the  principle  town  in  Solano 
county,  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  San 
Pablo  Bay.  From  San  Francisco  it  is  reached 
by  boats  running  up  the  bay  of  the  same  name. 
A  railroad  connects  it  with  the  towns  of  the 
more  northern  counties.  Vallejo  received  its 
name  from  a  Spanish  governor  of  that  cognomen, 
who  used  to  own  most  of  the  land  about  the 
place.  The  town  is  located  among  the  barren 
hills  of  the  coast  range.  No  verdure  greets  the 
eye  but  that  planted  by  the  hands  of  man.  The 
scenery  is  mountainous,  being  the  ever  occurring 
round  mounds  as  far  as  the  vision  reaches  upon 
one  hand,  upon  the  other  the  placid  waters  of 
San  Pablo  Bay.  The  town  has  about  six  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  and  many  characteristic  pecu- 
liarities; likewise  a  history  of  its  own. 
(233) 


234  OVER   THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

One  of  the  institutions  is  known  as  the  Good 
Templars'  Orphans'  Home,  a  fine  building,  loca- 
ted upon  one  of  those  barren  hills  where  the 
winds  sweep  with  such  force  as  to  preclude  the 
possibility  of  raising  shrubbery;  for  the  same 
reason  the  children  are  seldom  seen  playing  in 
the  yards.  The  building  appears  to  the  observer 
like  a  grand  castle  set  upon  a  rock,  defying  the 
winds  which  are  said  to  be  tempered  to  the 
shorn  lamb,  although  shearing  the  hills  of  ever 
attempt  at  vegetable  growth.  This  home  is 
supported  b\r  the  good  templars  of  the  State,  is 
managed  by  women  and  controlled  by  a  com- 
mittee of  men.  There  are,  at  present,  about  one 
hundred  children  in  the  institution,  and  notwith- 
standing the  name  they  are  mostly  the  children 
of  the.  inebriate.  As  the  temperate  man  is 
more  capable  of  providing  for  his  own  than  the 
intemperate,  there  is  little  necessity  of  an  insti- 
tution of  this  kind  for  the  former. 

Another  of  the  peculiarities  of  Vallejo  is  the 
navy  yard,  which  is  located  upon  a  little  oblong 
island  rising  from  the  waters  of  the  bay.  This 
body  of  land  is  known  as  Marc  Island,  and  upon 


VALLEJO.  235 

it  are  situated  the  navy  hospital,  the  dry  dock, 
the  government  machine  shops  and  the  resi- 
dences of  the  naval  officers.  The  grounds  are 
laid  eut  in  fine  walks  with  beautiful  flowers, 
many  of  which  bloom  the  year  round.  Those 
naval  officers  appear  to  be  a  well  fed  dominant 
set  of  toadies  as  ever  served  a  government  with 
good  pay  for  little  work.  Just  before  election 
fifteen  hundred  or  two  thousand  men  are  put 
upon  the  government  works,  only  to  be  dis- 
charged after  their  votes  are  secured.  The 
degrading  effects  of  buying  and  selling  voters  is 
very  apparent  among  the  population,  or  certain 
features  arise  from  the  fact  that  only  the  most 
degraded  of  men  can  be  bought  and  sold  like 
so  many  cattle. 

The  hospital  is  without  a  matron,  and  when 
the  principal  physician  was  questioned  in  regard 
to  the  selfishness  of  man  for  monopolizing  all 
the  offices,  he  replied  that  women  had  not  yet 
sufficient  political  influence  to  secure  a  posi- 
tion and  hold  it.  I  replied  that  woman  had 
sufficient  political  influence  to  be  tried  and  hung 
for  treason,  if  not  sufficient  to  receive  the  emol- 


236  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

uments  of  office.  There  is  many  a  poor  deserv- 
ing widow  of  intelligence  and  refinement  that 
would  gladly  exchange  the  drudgery  of  the 
needle  for  such  a  position,  and  it  rightly  belongs 
to  some  woman.  Our  sex  should  be  represented 
in  every  department  of  the  government. 

Ships  are  built  and  repaired  upon  this  island, 
the  timber  being  brought  from  Puget  Sound. 
A  ferry  boat,  running  every  half  hour,  connects 
Mare  Island  with  Vallejo  proper.  The  work- 
men who  are  employed  by  the  government 
mostly  live  in  Vallejo,  and  it  is  a  rare  sight  to 
see  them  trudging  past  regularly,  at  eight  in  the 
morning  and  five  in  the  evening,  each  armed 
with  the  inevitable  dinner  pail.  The  street  is 
cleared  of  other  pedestrians,  there  being  an 
expressed  aversion  to  going  out  at  those  hours; 
perhaps  because  it  is  never  pleasant  to  meet  an 
army  face  to  face,  under  any  circumstances. 

Vallejo  was  talked  of  as  the  capital  of  the 
State  at  one  time.  There  were  two  sessions  of 
the  legislature  commenced  here,  both  adjourned 
to  other  places  to  finish  — one  to  Benicia,  the 
home  of  the  famous   Benicia   Boy,  the  pugilist. 


VALLEJO.  237 

the  other  adjourned  to  Sacramento.  In  moving, 
the  members  were  obliged  to  brave  both  mud 
and  flood,  which  they  did  in  order  to  secure  the 
better  facilities  of  the  other  towns  in  the  way  of 
business  excitement,  the  variety  of  their  fluids 
and  for  many  unknown  reasons.  It  was  not 
expected  by  an  over  generous  people  that  Val- 
lejo  could  hold,  for  one  entire  session,  that 
excitable  body  of  highly  intelligent  men  who 
are  supposed  to  posses^  an  order  of  brain  that 
soars  far  beyond  all  earthly  restraint.  The 
legislature  of  those  days  was  really  a  "  Circum- 
locution Office,"  with  the  opportunity  of  putting 
in  practice  "How  not  to  do  it."  Like  boys  in 
an  ungraded  country  school,  they  were  permitted 
to  move  their  seats  to  any  part  of  the  State,  in 
order  to  avoid  what  might  occur  to  mar  their 
happiness,  from  the  primitive  condition  of 
things.  And  without  doubt,  like  the  school 
boy.  many  of  the  inconveniences  became  im- 
maginary,  and  that  seats  were  moved  just  for 
the  novelty  of  changing  places.  The  school  boy 
manner  still  clings  to  some  of  the  principal 
men  of  Vallejo.  A  citizen  and  voter,  who  lias 
yellow  curls  and  golden  beard,  who  looks  like  a 


238  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

gentleman,  upon  the  outside,  and  who  passes 
among  six  foot  men  for  a  gentleman,  was  known 
to  abuse  an  inoffensive  business  woman,  just  as 
a  great,  rough,  uncouth  school  boy  will  some- 
times use  offensive  language  to  the  most  sensi- 
tive little  girl  in  the  class,  for  the  purpose  of 
showing  how  beauty  and  the  beast  appear  when 
chance  places  them  upon  the  same  foraging 
ground.  Vallejo  has  a  parrot,  too,  which  par- 
takes, to  some  extent,  of  the  peculiarities  of  the 
place  and  the  school  boy  style.  I  was  seated  in 
the  office  of  that  estimable  gentleman,  Colonel 
Hubbs,  and  Polly  was  in  her  cage,  just  back  of 
my  chair.  Presently  the  bird  muttered  out: 
"  Polly  wants  her  coat."  I  asked  for  an  expla- 
nation, and  was  told  that  she  was  calling  for  an 
old  coat  that  had  been  placed  over  her  cage  to 
keep  her  warm.  A  farmer  came  in.  during  the 
conversation;  his  hair  was  rather  long,  his  pants 
were  of  a  color  that  would  justify  me  in  calling 
him  a  Missourian.  Polly  turned  up  her  eye, 
took  a  good  look  at  him,  and  called  out:  "  How 
dye  do.  Daddy;  how  d'ye  do,  Old  Hoss?"  At 
this  novel  salutation  the  farmer  laughed  until  the 
tears  came  in  his  eyes. 


PLACERVILLE. 


f^I^HIS  fine,  handsome,  at  the  same  time  dilap- 
-L  idated  town,  is  the  county  beat  of  Eldorado 
county,  is  situated  twelve  miles  north  of  the 
Sacramento  Valley  Railroad,  and  reached  by 
stages  from  Diamond  Springs,  the  present  ter- 
minus of  the  road.  Placerville  is  a  mining 
town,  and  twelve  or  fifteen  years  ago  contained 
eijjht  or  ten  thousand  inhabitants.  As  the  min- 
ing  interests  changed  throughout  the  State, 
becoming  systematized  and  consolidated,  this 
place,  like  all  the  mountain  towns,  fell  into  a 
rapid  decline.  Its  population  will  not  now 
number  over  three  thousand.  Having  the  finest 
climate  in  the  world,  like  ancient  Rome  much 
of  its  original  attractiveness  still  lingers  about 
the  quiet  streets,  dainty  little  homes  and  deserted 
(239) 


240  OVER    THE    ITEFLE    HILLS. 

business  buildings.  The  location  and  altitude 
combine  to  make  the  atmosphere  so  sweet  that 
I  fancied  it  had  a  taste  like  Bartlett  Spring 
"Water.  This  climate  is  wonderfully  exhilarating. 
I  found  myself  enduring  a  walk  of  many  miles 
with  little  fatigue,  and  was  surprised  that  one 
night's  sleep  could  dissipate  the  effects  of  so 
much  exertion. 

The  inhabitants  have  lair,  clear  complexions, 
and  I  fancy  that  they  are  morally  superior  to 
the  inhabitants  in  the  valleys.  The  hoodlum 
element  certainly  does  not  flourish  to  any  great 
extent,  for  the  window  panes  of  those  vacant 
houses  remain  unmolested,  which  fact  speaks 
volumes  for  the  youth  of  the  town. 

The  inhabitants  complain  of  suffering  much 
from  the  tyranny  of  a  railroad  company;  having 
contributed  heavily  toward  the  construction  of 
a  road  which  fails  to  come  to  their  contract  and 
expectations  by  a  distance  of  twelve  miles.  The 
town  is  much  in  debt.  In  order  to  escape  the 
penalty  of  indebtedness,  their  corporation  is 
dissolved;  the  town  officials  resigned  as  soon  as 
elected.     Tt  seems  sad    to  leave  those  beautiful 


PIiACERVILLE.  241 

shades  for  the  pecuniary  prospects  of  the  less 
healthful  bat  more  hopeful  valleys.  If  Oliver 
Goldsmith  could  have  had  such  a  field  for  his 
fertile  imagination  as  the  ruined  or  decayed 
mountain  towns  of  the  Golden  State,  he  might 
have  indulged  in  deserted  villages  to  his  heart's 
content. 

Abundance  of  fruit  is  raised  in  the  vicinity 
of  Placerville.  As  the  mountain  fruits  are 
much  superior  to  that  raised  in  the  valley,  this 
commodity  generally  finds  a  ready  market;  v 
canned,  dried,  preserved,  made  into  jellies  and 
sold  fresh  in  many  parts  of  the  State.  Plumbs 
are  a  marvel  of  variety,  size  and  flavor.  I  was 
one  day  sitting  beneath  a  tree  which  I  supposed 
to  be  an  apple  tree,  leaded  with  green  fruit.  I 
reached  up  to  a  limb,  plucked  one,  when  to  my 
surprise  I  found  a  soft  green  plum  as  large  as  a 
teacup,  and  of  a  most  excellent  flavor,  having 
just  the  general  appearance  of  a  thrifty  half 
grown  apple.  Blackberries,  the  fruit  of  the 
bramble,  'are  grown  in  abundance.  Indeed,  if 
any  care  or  pains  are  taken,  the  finest  fruits  in 

the  world  can  be  grown  here.      There  is  ju^t 

- 


2P2  OVEK    THE    I'UKIM.E    HILLS. 

enough  frost  to  give  the  apples  and  peaches  a 
fine  flavor  which  they  do  not  get  in  the  valleys. 
I  was  much  amused,  while  stopping  there,  at  a 
flock  of  geese,  which  go  about  the  streets  like 
privileged  characters.  Every  day,  in  my  wan- 
derings, I  managed  to  hold  a  conversation  with 
these  loquacious  bipeds.  The  Beecher  scandal 
was  the  topic  of  the  day.  and  to  the  snowy 
breasts  of  these  inoffensive  birds  did  I  commit 
my  opinions;  and  the  answers  which  were 
returned  proved  quite  as  satisfactory  to  me  as 
the  general  comments  of  the  press,  for  and 
against.  When  I  interrogated  the  geese  about 
the  propriety  of  having  every  editor  in  the 
country  arrested  for  sending  obscene  literature 
through  the  United  States  mail,  the  geese  all 
joined  together  and  fairly  screamed  their  ap- 
proval, crossing  their  "white  necks  and  following 
alongside  of  the  wooden  walks  for  the  distance 
of  a  whole  block.  These  and  similarly  constitu- 
ted bipeds  are  the  only  creatures  with  whom  I 
enjoy  small  talk;  they  are  not  offensively  opin- 
ionated upon  subjects  of  which  they  know  com- 
paritivelv  nothing.     Thev   seldom  or  never    «-o 


1'L.V  ERVILLE. 


2-U 


beyond  their  depth  while  conversing,  although 
fond  of  water  thej  seldom  slop  over.  These 
creatures  become  so  readily  educated,  in  a  short 
time,  as  to  give  you  just  the  answers  required; 
and  to  a  person  intolerant  of  the  opinions  of 
others  this  fact  is  highly  satisfactory. 


SALT  LAKE  CITY 


THE  Mormon  city  contains  fifteen  or  twenty 
thousand  inhabitants.  In  the  entire  terri- 
tory there  are  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand persons,  one-fifth  of  this  population  being 
Gentiles.  A  German  Jew  says,  "this  is  a  coun- 
try where  the  Jews  are  all  Gentiles."  Owing  to 
the  peculiar  character  of  the  social  institutions 
of  this  people,  the  business  portion  of  the  city 
is  much  smaller  than  other  cities  of  its  popula- 
tion, hence  it  is  a  town  of  extended  suburbs. 
This  is  perhaps  partly  owing  to  the  fact  that 
their  civilization  is  in  an  exceedingly  primitive 
state,  and  their  manner  of  living  decidely  sim- 
ple, and  partly  from  the  fact  that  their  business 
is  conducted  upon  the  co-operative  plan,  conse- 
quently very  much  concentrated.  Salt  Lake  City 
(244) 


SALT    LAKE    CITY.  245 

is  well  laid  out,  with  wide  streets,  beautifully 
shaded,  and  a  range  of  mountains  forming  a 
picturesque  back  ground;  one  of  its  most  charm- 
ing features  being  the  sparkling  rivulets  running 
along  each  side  of  its  main  thoroughfares.  The 
moisture  from  these  brooks  is  sufficient  to  cover 
the  banks  with  a  green  grassy  growth,  and  the 
voice  of  the  rippling  waters  give  a  peculiar  charm 
to  its  vicinity.  These  rivulets  are  frequently 
turned  aside  in  their  course  and  used  for  irrigating 
gardens,  for  domestic  purposes,  and  for  watering 
the  dusty  streets. 

My  room  was  near  the  Museum,  in  the  cottage 
occupied  by  Brigham  Young's  seventeeth  wife, 
Harriet  Barney  Young.  This  location  is  adja- 
cent to  the  Tabernacle.  From  my  room  door  I 
had  an  excellent  opportunity  to  speculate  upon 
the  style  of  the  Tabernacle  architecture.  It  is 
said  that  the  more  elegant  architectural  struct- 
ures of  a  people  are  always  modeled  from  its  first 
primitive  dwellings.  For  instance,  the  Chinese 
Temples  were  patterns  of  the  round  cloth  tent ; 
the  Gothic  houses  from  the  tent  of  boughs.  I 
cannot,  however,  imagine  anything  from  which 


246  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

thi6  Mormon  Tabernacle  could  have  been  mod- 
eled, unless  it  should  be  a  large,  oblong,  bag 
pudding,  placed  upon  a  platter  ready  to  be  served 
to  a  goodly  number  of  hungry  harvest  hands. 
A  people  whose  highest  ideas  of  life  have  lain 
in  a  plum  pudding,  ma}7  have  fashioned  their 
Temple  after  the  same. 

The  roof  is  made  of  shingles  and  not  covered 
with  tin.  The  block  of  ground  upon  which  the 
Tabernacle  is  placed,  is  enclosed  with  a  high 
wall,  said  to  have  been  first  built  as  a  defense 
against  Indians.  The  Indians  were,  however, 
easily  reconciled  to  Mormonism,  being  already 
polygamists,  and  believing  in  the  slavery  of 
women;  all  they  had  to  do  was  to  be  baptized, 
and  they  were  better  Mormons  than  can  ever  be 
made  of  the  Anglo  Saxon  race;  as  all  orders  of 
the  priest-hood  have  ever  found  the  latter  race 
prone  to  backslide  as  soon  as  they  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  learn  to  read.  One  is  surprised  to  see 
the  great  numbers  of  deformed  people  upon  the 
streets  of  Salt  Lake  City.  All  manner  of  deform- 
ity is  represented  here.  I  thought  at  first  that 
tome  institution  of  malformations  were  having  a 


.-ALT    LAKE    CITY,  24-7 

• 

holiday,  but  learned  that  this  feature  is  the  result. 
of  the  Mormon  doctrine  of  curing  by  miracles; 
but  for  the  lack  of  faith,  most  of  them  are 
bound  to  go  through  life  warped  physically  as 
they  have  been  mentally.  The  climate  of  Utah 
like  that  of  California,  is  without  rain  during 
the  summer  months,  although  owing  to  its  alti- 
tude it  is  much  colder  in  winter.  The  sand 
storms  peculiar  to  this  region  is  perhaps  one  of 
its  most  objectionable  features,  although  no  worse, 
may  be,  than  the  faults  of  any  country.  The 
sweeping  wind  wdiieh  Mark  Twain  denominates 
the  Mountain  Zephyr,  comes  tearing  through 
the  valley,  tilling  the  air  with  dust  and  sand,  so 
that  respiration  becomes  difficult  and  the  inhab- 
itants speedily  seek  the  nearest  shelter.  These 
storms  have  a  peculiar  hissing  sound  combined 
with  the  roar  of  the  wind  and  are  in  miniature 
what  takes  place  in  the  great  desert  of  Sahara. 
Whirlwinds  occasionally  form,  carrying  the  sand 
and  dust  a  hundred  feet  or  more  into  the  air. 
At  times  three  or  four  of  these  whirlwinds  may 
be  seen  waltzing  upon  the  plains  at  once.  As 
long   as   they  keep  a  respectful  distance,  the!:- 


248  OVER    THE    PUKPLE    HILL?. 

capers  are  rather  edifying,  but  outsiders  never 
care  to  have  waltzers  come  too  near  the  corn  field. 
Salt  Lake,  the  dead  sea  of  America,  is  well  worth 
visiting.  It  is  located  about  twenty -five  miles 
from  the  city,  is  forty  miles  in  length  and  twenty- 
five  in  width,  is  connected  to  the  city  by  rail  and 
is  famous  as  a  place  of  resort  for  the  native  pop- 
ulation. The  waters  are  supposed  to  possess 
wonderful  curative  powers,  which  would  be  noth- 
ing incredible  for  such  a  strong  compound.  Phi- 
losophy says  that  this  saline  matter  has  been 
accumulating  for  ages  as  salt  lakes  have  no  out- 
let; that  if  they  had  an  outlet,  this  saline  con- 
dition would  cease  to  exist.  The  waters  of  this 
lake  contain  as  much  salt  as  it  can  hold  in  solu- 
tion ;  to  the  taste  it  does  not  seem  to  have  any 
other  foreign  matter,  being  not  at  all  brackish. 
The  only  animal  life  found  in  this  salt  basin  is  a 
little  insect  about  as  large  as  a  mosquito;  this  tiny 
creature  appears  to  be  dressed  in  a  fringe  of  deli-: 
cate  scarlet  feathers,  and  are  only  observed  when 
there  is  froth  gathered  upon  the  water.  There 
is  running  upon  this  lake,  a  stern  wheel  steamer, 
called  the  "General   Garfield;"  the  acconunoda- 


SALT    LAKE    CITY.  249 

tions  are  good  and  tlie  tourist  will  find  it  a  pleas- 
ant trip  to  take  when  on  the  way  to  visit  the 
wonders  of  California. 

Persons  desiring  a  bath  should  provide  them- 
selves with  a  bathing  suit  before  leaving  the  city. 
The  dresses  at  the  bath  houses  are  left  as  they 
have  been  used  by  others,  so  coated  with  salt 
that  L  is  quite  impossible  to  get  into  one,  besides 
most  of  them  are  flowing  garments,  and  nothing 
but  ti<*ht  dresses  should  be  used.  Blue  drilling 
overalls,  with  a  cheap  cotton  or  flannel  shirt, 
which  one  can  buy  ready  made,  affords  an  appro- 
priate outfit.  A  Mormon  patriarch  supplied  me 
with  this  outfit,  and  I  feel  prepared  to  recom- 
mend it.  I  should  have  lost  the  opportunity  of 
taking  a  bath  but  for  this  act  of  generosity  on 
the  part  of  the  Mormon,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
forego  the  pleasure  of  a  bath  himself  until  another 
time,  as  Ave  all  remained  in  the  water  until  train 
time. 

I  thought  surely  that  I  had  no  right  to  expect 
to  survive  this  bath  of  two  hours  duration,  but 
found  it  quite  impossible  to  get  away  from  those 
persistent    Mormons.       Like    the    English,    the 


250  OVER  THE  PUEPLE  HILLS. 

world  over,  they  are  bound  to  have  their  own 
way,  and  control  all  that  is  near  them;  and  they 
will  nearly  smother  one  with  their  officious  hos- 
pitality. It  is  the  sheer,  persistent,  selfish  will 
of  these  people  that  causes  them  to  hold  so  many 
women  in  that  abominable  slavery.  I  have 
never  observed  that  simple  element  so  strongly 
marked  in  any  other  nationality,  except  the  Eng- 
lish The  bath  did  me  no  injury,  however,  aside 
from  the  fact  that  I  was  so  exhausted  that  I  did 
not  sit  up  much  of  the  time  upon  the  following 
day.  There  was  no  lameness  or  soreness  from 
the  unusual  exercise,  and  upon  the  whole  I  was 
benefitted;  but  staying  in  the  strange  element, 
cutting  all  manner  of  physical  maneuvers,  tired 
me  to  such  an  extent,  that  one  night's  rest  was 
not  sufficient  to  recuperate  exhausted  energies. 
It  is  said  that  one  cannot  sink  in  this  Mater, 
but  I'll  assure  you  that  if  they  cannot  swim  and 
get  beyond  their  depth,  that  they  will  find  them- 
selves reversing  positions  and  attempting  to 
stand  upon  their  heads  ;  as  by  the  laws  of  grav- 
itation the  head  is  heavier  than  the  feet,  the 
latter  will  come  to  the  surface  like  corks.     Few 


SALT   LAKE    CITY.  251 

of  the  ladies  could  swim,  and  to  obviate  this 
difficulty,  a  wooden  frame  was  brought  which 
was  about  half  the  size  of  a  seven  by  nine  win- 
dow sash;  bjr  placing  one  hand  upon  this  frame 
and  keeping  the  head  out  of  water,  the  body 
would  lie  upon  the  surface  as  if  made  of  wood, 
and  the  sensation  of  being  borne  upon  the  water 
is  delightful.  Upon  leaving  the  bath  I  found 
myself  unable  to  stand  without  assistance,  under 
the  weight  of  saline  matter  gathered  upon  my 
bathing  dress.  The  weight,  of  course  is  not 
observable  while  one  is  in  the  water,  but  when 
walking  through  the  shallow  beach  to  reach  the 
bath  house,  a  person  becomes  a  weighty  consid- 
eration—  one  feels  as  if  clothed  in  a  sheet  of 
lead.  By  the  time  the  dress  is  removed  the  skin 
will  be  dry,  and  all  that  remains  to  be  done,  is 
to  take  a  towel  and  rub  off  the  dry  salt.  We 
are  now  already  pickled,  and  take  the  train  for 
the  city,  more  tired  if  not  wiser,  than  we  were  in 
the  morning. 

I  met  Judge  McKean,  and  heard  from  his  lips 
the  story  of  Ann  Eliza  and  the  alimony.  By 
the  way  if  it  were  not  for  offending  some  of  my 


252  OVER    THE    PUEPLE    HILLS. 

handsome  gentlemen  acquaintances  in  California, 
I  would  pronounce  Judge  McKean,  the  best 
appearing  and  finest  looking  man  o*f  fifty  that  I 
ever  met.  He  is  evidently  neither  saturated 
with  tobacco  nor  soaked  with  whisky;  his  eyes 
are  as  clear  as  the  visual  organs  of  a  boy  sixteen. 
It  sounds  very  unnatural  to  speak  well  of  a  per- 
son while  living  and  I  will  say  no  more,  but 
wait  patiently.  When  Judge  McKean's  decision 
was  announced  there  was  a  panic  among  the 
bishops  and  elders,  and  when  Brigham  Young 
declared  that  he  had  but  one  legal  wife,  there 
was  a  panic  among  the  plural  edition  of  wives 
throughout  the  whole  empire,  so  much  so  that 
those  who  had  sufficient  intelligence  to  compre- 
hend the  situation,  were  perfectly  horror  stricken 
at  the  Prophet's  evident  cowardice.  The  miser- 
able old  sinner,  he  ought  to  die  by  the  violent 
hand  of  some  woman  and  not  be  permitted  to 
live  out  his  days  in  peace. 


THE   GOLDEN   STATE. 


HERE  I  am  in  the  Golden  Land,  so  well 
pleased  that,  like  the  old  Queen  of  Sheba, 
I  exclaim,  "  The  half  has  not  been  told  me  !  " 
Leaving  bleak,  cold,  windy  Chicago,  so  ill  that  I 
could  not  sit  up,  I  began  to  mend  rapidly  as  I 
breathed  the  invigorating  air  of  the  great  plains. 
Arriving  here  after  a  most  delightful  journey  of 
six  days,  I  gained  sufficient  strength  to  walk  three 
miles  without  being  unduly  fatigued. 

Delightful  as  imagination  had  pictured  the 
overland  route,  the  reality  of  the  beauty  and 
grandeur  of  the  scenery  exceeded  expectation. 
Illimitable  plains,  lofty,  snow-capped  mountain?, 
and  lovely,  fertile  valleys  succeed  each  other,  ever 
beautiful  and  ever  varying.  Among  the  moun- 
tain passes  the  snow  was  very  deep,  but  the  snow- 

(253) 


l!54       OVER  THE  PUEPLE  HILLS. 

sheds  prevented  it  from  covering  the  tracks,  so 
there  was  no  danger.  One  of  the  snow-sheds  was 
twenty-eight  miles  in  length.  Time  seemed  long 
as  we  passed  through  it,  and  .we  greatly  regretted 
that  it  hid  the  mountain  view  from  our  sight. 

My  first  impressions  of  the  Golden  State  are 
more  than  fancy  had  painted  them.  To  me  the 
country  appears  the  most  beautiful  upon  earth. 
The  weather  is  warm  and  mild.  I  am  writing 
with  open  doors  and  windows,  the  bright  sun 
cheering  me  with  its  vivifying  rays,  while  I  hear 
the  I  ens  cackle  as  they  do  at  home  in  early  spring 
{they  lay  eggs  all  winter).  The  birds  are  singing 
and  building  their  nests.  The  grass  is  six  inches 
high,  and  the  foliage  is  beautifully  green,  yet 
people  say  the  season  is  unusually  backward. 

Sacramento  Valley  is  called  the  Garden  of  Cal- 
ifornia Its  soil  is  dark  and  fertile,  and  yields 
large  quantities  of  grain.  Plowing  and  sowing 
were  progressing  at  an  immejse  rate  as  we  passed 
through  it.  The  Californians  do  business  on  the 
high-pressure  principle,  and  "  push  things  "  in  a 
most  wonderful  fashion. 

The  climate  of  San  Jose  at  this  season   is  de- 


THE    GOLDEN    STATE.  255 

ligbtful.  Though  rain  frequently  falls,  the  show- 
ers are  always  warm,  and  though  earthquakes 
occur  often,  people  tell  me  they  "  do  not  mind  'em 
but  just  let  'em  quake."  Yet  I  fancy  they  are 
more  courageous  after  than  during  the  occurrence. 
The  scenery  is  grand  beyond  description,  and  the 
soil  produces  an  abundance  of  "  edible  things." 

The  people  represent  every  nationality  on  the 
face  of  the  earth,  yet  they  possess  that  true  and 
frank  hospitality  which  boasts  not  of  its  deeds  of 
kindness.  They  say  that  nothing  would  induce 
them  to  reside  permanently  elsewhere,  yet,  when 
their  "  pile  "  is  sufficiently  great,  they  intend  to 
visit  the  homes  of  their  nativity,  which  memory 
still  fondly  cherishes. 

The  theory  of  ivoman's  rights  meets  with  much 
opposition,  but  the  broadest  and  most  catholic  alti- 
tude is  allowed  it  in  practice.  Three  ladies  are 
practicing  medicine  here,  one  of  whom  has  a  sur- 
gical reputation,  and  all  are  prosperous,  proving 
that  California  flesh  is,  after  all,  heir  to  disease, 
in  spite  of  the  climate.  Indies  engage  in  money- 
making  and  business  pursuits  without  attracting 
the  envv,   opposition    or  contempt  of  „the   weak- 


256  OVER   THE   PUBPLE    HILLS. 

minded  of  either  sex.  If  woman  will  but  earnestly 
walk  onward  in  the  path  of  rectitude  and  duty,  suc- 
cess will  surely  sooner  or  later  crown  her  efforts. 

The  weather  during  the  entire  month  of  Janu- 
ary has  been  remarkably  lovely,  warm  and  mild, 
clear  and  sunny,  reminding  the  tourist  of  the 
beautiful  Indian  Summer  at  home.  The  air  is  cool 
and  exhilarating,  producing  a  stimulating  effect 
upon  the  nervous  system.  One  experience?  a 
slight  stinging  sensation  in  lips,  tongue  and  ex- 
tremities, like  reaction  of  cold,  but  as  the  weather 
has  not  been  at  all  cold,  scarcely  chilly,  it  must- 
be  produced  by  the  warm  sunshine  succeeding 
the  cool,  bracing  morning  air.  The  atmosphere 
possesses  certain  properties  which  render  the  in- 
valid wakeful,  and  it  becomes  necessary  to  coax 
and  pet  old  Somnus  ere  he  w;ll  yield  his  soothing 
and  refreshing  embrace. 

The  soil  is  as  rich  and  dark-colored  as  that  of 
Wisconsin,  and  is  equally  as  fertile  and  produc- 
tive in  wheat  and  other  cereals,  yielding  a  greater 
variety  of  fruits,  far  surpassing  those  of  that  State 
in  quality  as  well  as  quantity.  Wheat  is  the  great 
staple.    It  is   now  all  sown.     The  farmers  in  this 


THE   GOLDEN    STATE.         •  257 

vicinity  are  somewhat  anxious  about  this  crop, 
owing  to  a  deficiency  of  the  usual  rains,  and  if  the 
wheat  does  not  attain  a  certain  growth  before 
March,  fears  are  entertained  that  the  crop  may 
prove  a  failure.  Potatoes  are  not  successfully 
grown  in  this  otherwise  productive  valley,  their 
growth  being  so  rank  that  they  are  fibrous  and 
watery,  though  in  the  mountain  valleys  they  are 
cultivated  as  well  as  in  any  country  in  the  world, 
Erin  not  excepted.  The  native  shrubbery  and  the 
manner  of  arranging  gardens  reminds  one  of  the 
Southern  States. 

The  city  is  supplied  by  Artesian  wells  and  a 
pure  mountain  stream  of  soft  water  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. Windmill  is  the  motive  power  employed 
for  all  purposes  of  irrigation.  .  To  a  stranger  they 
form  a  quaint  addition  to  the  California  landsc 
as  they  pump  the  water  for  moistening  and  fertil- 
izing hundreds  of  thousands  of  otherwise  arid  and 
useless  acres. 

The  almond  tree  belongs   to  the  peach  family. 

It  is    now  in  full  bloom.     The  flowers  are  very 

beautiful,  possessing  the  delicate  tints  of  the  peach 

blossom.      Almonds  grown  here  are  remarkably 

17 


258  OVER   THE  PURPLE    HILLS 

fine,  and  peanuts  of  a  superior  variety  are  abund- 
antly produced. 

Society  in  newly-settled  countries  is  always 
mixed.  Almost  every  nation  of  the  habitable 
earth  has  its  representatives.  While  some  are  un- 
congenial, yet,  one  meets  with  many  frank,  intel- 
ligent and  hospitable  people.  As  to  dress,  every 
mode  is  fashionable,  the  latest  Paris  styles  not  ex- 
cepted. People  dress  just  as  they  choose,  without 
attracting  attention,  though  I  must  confess  that 
long,  swallow-tail  coats  do  appear  mal-apropos  to 
the  fast  Chicagoan,  accustomed  to  the  "  cur  "- 
tailed  business  suit.  Neither  very  light  summer 
nor  heavy  winter  garments  are  required,  moder- 
ately warm  clothing  being  suitable  the  whole  year. 

Californians  have  a  pet  earthquake  theory. 
They  declare  that  their  earthquakes  are  not  vol- 
canic, but  entirely  atmospheric.  As  thunder  and 
lightning  do  not  exist  they  argue  that  the  earth- 
quake is  an  atmospherical  method  of  purifying  the 
air,  and  they  furthermore  assert  that  since  1812 
but  few  lives  have  been  lost  on  the  entire  Pacific 
Coast,  and  that  thunder  and  lightning,  winds  and 
violent  storms  cause  greater  destruction  to  life  and 


THE    GOLDEN    STATE. 


259 


property  in  the  other  States  than  the  earthquakes 
of  the  Pacific  Slope. 

Apparently  there  is  little  fear  of  earthquakes, 
yet  the  buildings  are  constructed  to  guard  against 
these  phenomena.  They  are  built  of  wood,  gener- 
ally low,  are  one  story  high,  broad  on  the  ground, 
and  surrounded  with  piazzas.  The  best  recom- 
mendation for  a  house  is  that  it  is  "earthquake- 
proof."  There  are  many  handsome  blocks  in  San 
Jose.  The  roads  are  hard,  smooth  and  clean,  ren- 
dering the  drives  most  delightful. 


',,  j  If 


SAN   JOSE  .IN  JUNE. 

THE  floral  wealth  of  San  Jose  is  at  this  season 
abundant  beyond  description.  Though  climb- 
ing plants  and  several  varieties  of  vines  were  green 
all  winter,  they  are  of  a  brighter  hue  now.  The 
few  roses  which  gladdened  us  in  January  and 
February  are  succeeded  by  a  progeny  as  numer- 
ous, as  ever- varying  and  beautiful.  Double  purple 
violets,  hidden  beneath  the  dark  green  foliage, 
perfume  the  air.  Large  gray  pansies,  fragrant 
carnations,  myrtle  blossoms,  and  the  numerous 
varieties  of  bridal  wreath  and  spirea,  with  droop- 
ing limbs  studded  with  clusters  of  infinitessimal 
roses  of  snowy  whiteness  greet  one  in  every  diiec- 
tion,  producing  feelings  of  gratitude  to  the  Great 
Creator  that  He  has  thus  beautified  and  adorned 
bounteous  Mother  Earth. 

(260) 


SAN   JOSB    IN   JUNE.  261 

Oranges  are  not  cultivated  in  this  valley, 
though  all  fruits,  such  as  peaches,  apricots,  al- 
monds, etc.,  are  grown  in  abundance  with  little 
labor.  The  grapes  are  exceedingly  heavy.  They 
are  Fenian  green  now,  and  as  the  season  advances 
they  will  receive  darker  hues,  until,  like  humanity, 
they  become  sear  and  yellow  with  age.  Wheat  is 
the  principal  cereal,  and  is  extensively  cultivated, 
producing  flour  of  a  superfine  quality.  The  moun- 
tains, extending  from  east  to  v/est,  form  one  un- 
broken chain,  while  the  northern  and  southern 
horizon  is  bounded  by  hills  and  table-lands.  The 
mountains  are  covered  with  an  emerald  carpet, 
and  the  scrub  oaks  on  their  heights  attest  their 
sterility,  while  clear,  silvery  clouds  crown  their 
lofty  peaks  like  a  halo. 

The  table-lands  are  luxuriant  with  grain  fields 
and  meadows,  and  the  white  farm-house  upon  the 
distant  hill,  surrounded  by  its  peach  orchard,  pre- 
sent a  lovely  landscape  to  the  beholder — a  land- 
scape of  mountains,  hills,  valley  and  table-land, 
sterility  and  fertility — like  the  characteristics  of 
life.  Horrible  tales  of  devouring  lions  and  pan- 
thers are  rehearsed  to   us,  i  ow  and  then,  but  as 


262  OVER  THE   PURPLE    HILLS. 

we  have  seen  do  trace  of  either  animal  we  are  in- 
clined to  think  that  the  tales  are  mythical. 


FIRST    IMPRESSIONS    OF     A    CALIFOR- 
NIA   EARTHQUAKE. 

TN  February,  at  noon-day,  I  experienced  my  first 
introduction  to  a  shock  of  California  earth- 
quake. I  had  been  out  enjoying  my  customary 
morning  promenade,  the  weather  being  mild  and 
balmy  as  usual,  and  the  face  of  nature  appeared 
serene.  On  entering  my  room,  as  I  was  removing 
my  bonnet  and  shawl,  the  building  suddenly  began 
to  rock,  and  the  blinds  shook  and  swayed  to  and 
fro  just  like  a  steamer  getting  under  way.  I 
caught  hold  of  a  table  and  steadied  myself  to  re- 
gain my  equilibrium.     I   for  a  moment  imagined 


FIRST    IMPRESSIONS.  263 

that  I  had  just  embarked  at  San  Francisco,  and 
had  taken  passage  for  the  Sandwich  Islands. 
Another  moment's  reflection,  however,  gave  me 
to  understand  that  instead  of  being  on  the  "briny 
deep,"  I  was  upon  terra  finna,  and  that  the  rock- 
ing sensation  was  my  first  introduction,  in  Cali- 
fornia vulgale,  to  a  "•Quake."  Scarcely  had  I 
regained  my  position  ere  the  rocking  and  trem- 
bling ceased,  and,  strange  to  say,  I  was  not  in  the 
least  alarmed.  Going  towards  the  door  I  met  my 
next  door  neighbor  with  a  composed  smile,  as  if 
"  Quakes  "  were  already  familiar  things.  She 
was  greatly  frightened,  and  regarding  my  com- 
posure as  forced,  remarked,  "  They  who  know 
nothing,  fear  nothing."  If  this  be  true,  when  I 
know  more  I  will  fear  more. 

Occupying  the  second  story  of  a  fine  building, 
my  first  impulse  after  the  shake  was  over  was  to 
look  about  for  damages.  In  my  room  the  plas- 
tered walls  were  somewhat  crushed,  but  that  was 
all.  Going  to  the  window  to  see  what  the  people 
in  the  street  were  doing,  I  observed  that  the  peo- . 
pie  were  a  trifle  agitated,  and  the  windows  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  street  were  filled  with  eager 


264  OVER   THE   PURPLE    HILLS. 

and  anxious  faces,  looking  in  the  same  direction, 
probably  for  the  same  purpose. 

The  greatest  and  only  real  danger  resulting 
from  these  phenomena  is  caused  by  crowds  of  peo- 
ple rushing  hurriedly  into  the  streets,  and  being 
hurt  by  falling  chimneys,  and  other  missiles.  I 
am  told  that  all  loss  of  life  on  the  Pacific  has  re- 
sulted from  fearful  stampedes  of  children  from 
the  public  schools,  or  crowds  of  people  tumbling 
and  trampling  and  jostling  each  other  in  the  first 
moments  of  alarm. 

If,  as  Holland  says,  "  All  common  good  has 
common  price,"  the  price  of  living  in  this  country, 
as  far  as  my  experience  goes,  is  rather  the  fear 
than  the  result  of  earthquakes.  As  there  are 
neither  violent  winds  or  storms,  thunder  or  light- 
ning, whirlwinds  or  simoons,  nature  purifies  ihe 
elements  by  shakes  and  quakes,  and  all  fears  rest 
in  the  fact  that  no  one  knows  how  hard  it  may 
shake  before  the  quake  is  over. 

In  a  former  chapter  I  spoke  of  windmills.  They 
.  are  a  most  interesting  and  pleasant  institution  of 
this  country,  and  as  reliable  as  sunrise  and  sun- 
set.   The  winds  blow  with  great  regularity  every 


FIRST    IMPRESSIONS. 


265 


day,  from  the  South  in  winter  and  from  the  North 
in  summer.  Thus,  windmills  are  a  never- failing 
source  of  irrigation.  It  is  a  pleasing  sight  to  view 
their  giant  arms  tossed  about  by  balmy  breezes, 
doing  a  giant's  work,  pumping  the  water  into 
troughs,  from  which  it  is  then  guided  by  hose  in 
every  required  direction. 

The  weather  during  February  was  charming — 
mild  and  spring-like,  with  only  one  wintry  day, 
and  that  a  very  pleasant  one  to  a  Northerner. 


SANTA    CLARA. 


fT^HIS  old  Spanish  town  is   so  near  San  Jose 
J_    that  it  may  properly  be  called  one  of  its  en- 
virons.    Though   a   Western  spirit  of  progress  is 


266  OVER   THE  PURPLE    HILLS. 

here  and  there  visible,  animating  the  natural  in- 
dolence of  her  inhabitants,  the  old,  unprogressive 
Spanish  element,  with  its  adherence  to  and  vener- 
ation for  all  that  has  been,  is  as  yet  the  prevailing 
one  might  say  the  dominant  spirit.  Its  climate  is 
semi-tropical,  and  owing  to  the  near  proximity  of 
the  Pacific  is  subject  to  the  bracing  ocean  breezes, 
which  in  a  measure  counteract  the  debility  conse- 
quent upon  all  warm  climates,  and  though  there- 
fore very  mild  and  agreeable,  it  fails  to  produce 
that  stimulating  oxygen  so  necessary  to  persons 
who  were  born  and  reared  in  more  northerly  lati- 
tudes. All  productions  indiginous  to  the  Temper- 
ate zones,  and  almost  all  those  of  the  Tropics, 
flourish  luxuriantly.  Extensive  orchards,  yielding 
almost  every  variety  of  fruit  known  to  the  Tem- 
perate and  Tropical  zones,  and  well  cultivated 
kitchen  gardens  give  evidence  that  the  gastro- 
nomic tastes  and  wants  of  the  people  of  this  com- 
munity are  not  neglected. 


OVER  THE  MOUNTAINS  TO  SANTA 
CRUZ. 

LEAVING  San  Jose  southwestward  for  Santa 
Cruz,  we  make  our  transit  by  means  of  an 
old-fashioned  conservative  stage  coach,  which  when 
one  is  not  in  a  hurry,  and  the  weather  is  dry, 
mild  and  balmy,  and  the  road  diversified  by  hill 
and  valley,  mountains  and  streams,  is  a  very 
agreeable  way  of  travel.  This  valley  is  one  of 
the  most  fertile  in  California,  and  unsurpassed  in 
picturesque  scenery,  with  the  exception  of  the 
Yosemite.  In  the  full  meridian  of  spring  Nature 
assumes  her  most  attractive  garb.  The  wheat 
fields  of  the  valleys  and  foot-hills  give  promise  of 
a  fair  harvest,  while  the  foliage  of  the  hills  and 
mountains  is  yet  fresh  and  green,  and  brilliant- 
hued  wild  flowers  dot  the  level  fields.  Indeed, 
every  variety  of  scenery  greets  the  tourist's  eye. 
(267  j 


268  OVER   THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

The  fertile  foot-hills  furnish  pasturage  for  im- 
mense herds  of  cattle,  sheep  and  goats.  The  un- 
dulating slopes  of  the  hills  are  covered  with 
brush  and  small  timber,  and  then  the  mountain 
pass,  with  its  deep  ravines,  its  yawning  precipices 
and  gigantic  trees,  which,  while  they  inspire  the 
soul  with  the  grandeur  of  the  mighty  works  of 
the  Great  Creator,  also  produce  the  painful  effect 
of  fear  upon  the  nerves  of  the  timid  traveler. 
The  mountain  gorges  are  often  five  hundred  feet 
in  depth,  while  projecting  rocks,  with  mammoth 
trees  growing  from  them,  and  bending  over  the 
precipice,  as  if  about  to  fall,  meet  one  at  every 
turn  of  a  curve.  Now  and  then  we  pass  over  a 
plateau  of  table-land  in  a  very  high  state  of  culti- 
vation. The  air  ascending  the  mountains  is  brac- 
ing and  delightfully  fragrant  with  the  perfume  of 
wild  flowers  and  new  mown  hay. 

The  mountain  stage  drivers  are  peculiar  char- 
acters, and  deserve  a  passing  notice.  They  are 
veterans  of  their  occupation,  having  driven  for 
y<Aars  on  the  same  route.  In  California  vulgate, 
they  never  get  foggy — which  means  that  they  are 
temperate — an    unusual    recommendation  in  this 


OVER    THE    MOUNTAINS.  269 

country.  They  are  very  trusty,  possessing  an  ac- 
curate knowledge  of  every  step  of  the  hazardous 
way,  and  know  something  of  interest  about  every 
spot.  No  smoking  is  allowed  either  inside  or  out- 
side the  stage,  so  that  ladies  can  ride  outside  if 
they  choose  and  obtain  a  perfect  view  of  the  natu- 
ral scenery,  a  privilege  of  which  many  avail  them- 
selves. The  stages  are  drawn  by  six  horses, 
which  are  relieved  every  ten  miles.  The  moun- 
tain ascent  is  very  laborious  and  is  slowly  made, 
but  the  descent  is  rapid. 

The  mountain  streams  are  well  filled  with  trout, 
and  fishing  parties  are  quite  fashionable  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  the  trout  streams — we  ladies  taking  par- 
ticular delight  in  following  this  indolently  pleas- 
urable pursuit  of  Isaac  Walton — and  as  we  return 
with  long  strings  well-filled  with  the  speckled 
shiners  and  enjoy  the  delicious  repast  they  afford, 
we  feel  well  repaid  for  the  sport  by  which  we  cap- 
tured the  delicious  specimens  of  the  finny  tribe. 

Midway  between  San  Jose  and  Santa  Cruz 
there  is  a  place  of  entertainment  for  man  and 
beast,  kept  like  the  old-fashioned  country  taverns 
of  the  East.     Here,  while  we  sumptuously  fared, 


270  OVER   THE    PURPLE   HILLS. 

we  were  forcibly  reminded  of  Yankee  Land.  B,em- 
iniscencss  of  Lome  are  ever  pleasurable  to  the  so- 
journer in  a  strange  land,  particularly  when  they 
appear  in  the  form  of  a  well-cooked  dinner,  with 
the  addition  of  a  plate  of  well-browned  trout. 

The  descriptions  by  travelers  of  the  mammoth 
trees  of  California  are  no  exaggeration.  The  weep- 
ing willow  grows  to  such  an  immense  circumfer- 
ence  that  one  can  drive  a  span  of  horses  and  wag- 
on beneath  the  shade  of  its  gracefully  drooping 
branches.  The  redwood  trees  attain  such  a  gigan- 
tic size  that  our  tallest  oaks  are  mere  pygmies  in 
comparison,  and  the  fir  trees  grow  straight  as 
reeds,  and  so  very  tall  that  one  would  suppose 
they  intended  to  find  their  level  with  the  highest 
mountain  tops. 

The  City  of  Santa  Cruz,  or  Holy  Cross,  is  de- 
lightfully situated  upon  the  sea,  at  a  distance  of 
half  a  mile  from  the  bay  of  Monterey,  and  thirty- 
five  miles  southwest  of  San  Jose.  It  is  quite  a 
place  of  resort,  as  it  possesses  a  fine  beach.  Its 
bathing  facilities  are  hardly  equal  to  those  of 
Newport. 

Its  streets  are  fine  and  cleanly,  and  its  hotels 


OVER   THE    MOUNTAINS.  271 

commodious.  Its  stores  are  very  countrified,  deal- 
ing in  goods  of  every  description,  from  shawls  to 
codfish.  It  possesses  some  manufactures  and  con- 
siderable commerce.  The  flowing  wells  are  a  great 
curiosity.  They  are  bored  like  Artesian  wells,  of- 
ten two  hundred  feet  deep,  and  the  water  gushes 
and  boils  up  and  runs  over,  yielding  an  abundant 
and  constant  supply. 

Each  distinctive  feature  cf  farming  is  carried 
on  as  a  separate  business  here.  One  man  devotes 
his  entire  time  and  means  to  the  culture  of  grain, 
another  to  vegetables,  a  third  cultivates  grapes,  a 
fourth  fruits,  a  fifth  cattle,  etc.  Owing  to  the  ne- 
cessity of  irrigation  and  the  variety  of  the  soil  and 
climate  this  becomes  a  necessity,  and  when 
failure  occurs  it  becomes  a  very  disastrous  one.  It 
is  an  easy  matter  to  make  a  livelihood  in  Califor- 
nia, but  as'difficult  to  amass  a  fortune  as  in  other 
countries. 


JUNE  WEATHER  AND  TRADE  WINDS. 


OUR  June  weather  has  been  very  warm  dur- 
ing the  day,  but  the  heat  is  greatly  miti- 
gated towards  its  close  by  the  trade  winds,  which 
never  fail  to  blow  regularly  from  the  North  every 
afternoon,  and  render  our  evenings  and  nights 
cool  and  enjoyable.  One  can  always  sleep  well  in 
this  climate — a  blessing  which  nervous  patients 
who  have  suffered  from  the  want  of  weary  na- 
ture's sweet  restorer  can  fully  appreciate.  Linens, 
lawns,  muslins,  organdies,  and  in  fact  summer 
clothing  of  any  description  can  be  worn  only  dur- 
ing the  middle  of  the  day.  As  soon  as  the  trade 
winds  arise  the  atmosphere  becomes  so  cool  that 
heavy  clothing,  like  broadcloths,  merinos,  and 
even  furs  are  not  only  comfortable  but  necessary 
to  prevent  taking  cold.    The  cool  evenings  and 


JUNE    WEATHER.  273 

nights,  ana  the  good,  healthful  sleep  are  so  re- 
freshing that  the  heat  of  noon-day  does  not  pro- 
duce the  debility  of  other  warm  climates.  In  this 
respect  the  Pacific  Coast  has  greatly  the  advan- 
tage over  the  Central  and   South  Atlantic  Coast. 

Grapes  are  growing  finely ;  the  clusters  are 
round  and  full,  and  give  promise  of  an  abundant 
harvest.  Their  roots  strike  so  deep  into  the  earth 
that  the  drought  does  not  affect  them ;  in  fact, 
dry  weather  is  beneficial  to  grapes,  rendering 
them  sweeter  and  freer  from  rust  and  mildew. 
Raisins  of  excellent  flavor  and  superior  quality 
are  extensively  produced.  Much  suffering  is 
caused  by  the  dust,  though  perhaps  not  more 
than  in  other  localities,  where  no  rain  has  fallen 
for  a  long  period  of  time. 

The  flowing  wells  have  proved  as  great  a  bles- 
sing as  the  water  which  gushed  from  the  desert 
rock  was  to  the  thirsty  Israelites.  They  continue 
to  gush  and  bubble  and  give  forth  their  inestima- 
ble wealth  of  fresh,  sweet,  pure  water  in  abund- 
ance, without  a  thought  of  the  drought,  whose 
disastrous  effects  are  so  manifest  to  those  who  are 
deprived  of  them.  Little  pools  of  water  collect 
18 


274  OVER   THE    rURPLE   HILLS. 

about  the  wells,  which  the  feathered  tribe  scent 
from  afar,  and  they  come  hither  in  myriads  to 
wet  their  thirsty  little  beaks  and  bathe  and  flap 
their  wings  in  the  limpid  stream.  Then  they 
perch'themselves  among  the  boughs  of  our  shade 
trees  and  pour  forth  their  songs  of  thanksgiving, 
to  which  it  is  most  pleasurable  to  listen. 

The  aboriginal  settlers  were  either  Spanish  or 
French,  and  these  have  become  so  mixed  with  the 
native  Indian  element  that  it  is  difficult  to  trace 
distiuct  types  of  either  nationality.  They  are  un- 
educated, particularly  the  women,  and  their  igno- 
rance reacts  on  all.  They  speak  no  language  cor- 
rectly or  purely,  but  a  jargon  of  all.  The  tourist 
who  remarked  that  upon  inquiring  the  nationality 
of  a  lady  and  received  the  reply  "Me  no  mucho 
Francaise,  Englise,  you  bet"  describes  their  lan- 
guage correctly.  Still,  one  recognizes  the  French 
by  their  politeness,  their  neatness  of  dress — what- 
ever their  surroundings — their  sociability,  and 
their  general  superiority  to  the  Spaniards,  or  old 
Culifornians,  as  they  are  termed.  These  are  not 
particularly  neat,  having  a  strong  penchant  for 
oils,  Cayenne  pepper,  hard  boiled  eggs  and  plenty 
of  garlic. 


JUNE    WEATHER.  275 

The  ladies  wear  shawls  upon  their  heads,  are 
small  in  stature,  and  either  grow  to  an  enormous 
embonpoint  or  wither  and  dry  up  until  they  re- 
semble Egyptian  mummies.  They  are  exceedingly 
conservative,  don't  approve  of  schools,  and  do  just 
as  their  grand-parents  and  great  grand-parents  did 
before  them,  from  father  Noah  down,  the  example 
of  which  venerable  patriarch  they  religiously  im- 
itate by  making  free  use  of  the  fermented  juice  of 
the  grape,  with  the  addition  thereto  of  corn-juice 
in  the  form  of  whiskey  and  other  alcoholic  bev- 
erages. They  generally  dislike  progress  and  the 
Yankees,  and  sell  their  estates  and  emigrate  to 
Mexico. 

Lord  Macaulay  has  termed  the  religion  of  the 
old  Californians,  "  That  fascinating  superstition 
which  shall  nevertheless  be  the  prevailing  faith 
when  the  tourist  shall  sketch  the  ruins  of  West- 
minster Abbey  from  a  broken  arch  of  London 
Bridge."  Should  this  prophecy  prove  true  of  Lon- 
don, it  will  never  apply  to  California,  for  progres- 
sive ideas  are  storming  the  battlements  of  ancient 
prejudice  and  superstition,  and  even  the  Catholic 
church  cannot  restrain  the  onward  march.     The 


U76  OVER   THE  PURPLE   HILLS. 

French  do  not  permit  their  religious  scruples  to 
interfere  with  their  sociability  or  their  neighborly 
kindness;  but  it  is  different  with  the  Spaniards 
who  are  ultra  High  Chuich;  they  believe  that 
none  can  obtain  an  immortal  Elysium  but  them- 
selves, and  fear  contamination  from  other  influ- 
ences ;  hence  they  are  jealous  and  taciturn,  acd 
liberal  Christians  assert  that  the  greater  tbeir  ig- 
norance the  greater  their  faith — but  these  are  he- 
retical views,  diametrically  opposite  to  orthodox 
belief,  and  must  be  judged  accordingly. 

The  greatest  drawback  is  the  land  monopoly. 
The  farmers  are  buying  up  and  holding  thousands 
of  acres  of  the  most  valuable  public  lands,  and 
holding  them  so  high  that  poor  men  cannot  pur- 
chase cheap  homes.  These  speculators  keep  the 
country  from  improving  as  fast  as  it  would  if  the 
poor  man  were  not  thus  fettered. 


SUMMER  CLIMATE  IN  SAN  JOSE. 


TT^HE  summer  climate  here  has  been  extremely 
JL  hot  and  dry  during  the  past  season  ;  but  one 
little  shower  of  rain  fell  in  the  latter  part  of  July, 
and  though  the  ocean  breezes  cooled  the  atmos- 
phere at  the  close  of  day  and  at  night,  and  were 
somewhat  refreshing,  they  failed  to  alleviate  the 
weariness  and  lassitude  caused  by  the  day's  heat, 
or  to  cure  the  desire  to  postpone  all  physical  and 
mental  labor  till  the  morrow,  and  when  the  mor- 
row came,  to  postpone  it  till  cooler  weather.  The 
oldest  settlers  aver  that  the  past  summer  has  been 
an  unusually  hot  one,  and  though  that  may  be 
still  the  climate  of  the  heated  term  loses  its  usual 
brain  and  muscle  stimulating  properties,  unless  it 
be  that  what  is  brain  stimulating  is  also  brain  try- 
ing, and  that  the  system,  when  reaction  occurs,  is 

(277) 


278  OVER   THE   PURPLE    HILL«. 

left  in  a  more  debilitated  condition  than  if  the 
stimulant  had  not  been  employed. 

Threshing  grain  is  carried  on  as  extensively  and 
expeditiously  as  everything  else  in  this  country. 
Several  threshing  machines,  accompanied  by  the 
usual  number  of  operatives  or  "  hands  "  surround 
the  mammoth  grain  stacks  and  commence  work, 
resting  only  long  enough  to  "  take  in  food  "  for 
man  and  beast.  At  night  the  men  sleep  in  the  field 
in  near  proximity  to  the  stacks,  with  no  other  bed 
than  the  bare  ground  and  a  single  blanket.  As  the 
air  is  warm,  perfectly  free  from  damps  and  dews, 
and  not  the  least  danger  of  a  shower,  they  sleep 
soundly  until  sunrise,  when  work  begins  again, 
and  continues  uninterruptedly  until  all  is  com- 
pleted. 

Grasses  become  sere  and  dry  in  midsummer, 
one  might  say  almost  from  the  effects  of  heat,  and 
he  who  does  not  understand  the  order  of  things  in 
this  climate  would  pronounce  them  burnt  and 
worthless  ;  nevertheless,  cattle  eat,  live  and  thrive 
upon  them,  growing  fat  and  sleek  as  the  season 
advances.  Some  species  of  California,  grasses  pro- 
duce small  burrs,  which    fall   upon  and  cover  the 


SUMMER    CLIMATE  IN  SAN   JOSE.  279 

ground  when  ripe.  These  are  nutritive  for  cattle, 
and  are  eaten  with  avidity  by  them. 

The  people  enjoy  summer  fruits  of  almost  every 
variety  and  climate.  Cherries,  plums,  apricots, 
and  peaches.  There  are  two  crops  of  strawberries. 
Berries  of  every  variety  abound  in  their  season. 
Elderberries  are  as  large  as  good  sized  peas,  and 
covered  with  a  white  mist,  giving  them  the  ap- 
pearance of  sugar- coated  piils.  Grapes  are  plenti- 
ful, large,  sweet  and  luscious,  some  of  the  clusters 
almost  equaling  in  size  and  plumpness,  the  pic- 
tured representations  of  those  famous  bunches 
found  in  the  Promised  Land  by  the  spies  of  the 
Children  of  Israel,  which  were  wont  to  make  our 
mouth  water  in  early  childhood,  as  we  beheld 
them  suspended  from  a  pole  and  borne  upon  the 
brawny  shoulders  of  the  fault-finding  Jews. 

The  native  wines  are  very  sweet,  the  warm,  dry 
weather  being  highly  adapted  to  the  growth  and 
development  of  the  grapes.  As  usual,  the  wine- 
makers  claim  that  their  wines  are  not  intoxicat- 
ing. They  certainly  taste  very  sweet  and  palata- 
ble, and  if  never  drank  to  excess  might  not  injure 
the  cause  of  temperance — but,  judging  from  what 


280 


OVER    THE   PURPLE    HILLS. 


we  have  seen  we  incline  to  the  contrary  opinion. 
Some  large  varieties  of  grape8  produce  raisins 
equal  to  the  best  imported  Malagas,  particularly 
those  cultivated  amid  the  sheltered  valleys  and 
foothill?. 


SAN  FRANCISCO. 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  to  a  stranger  from  the 
Prairie  Land,  accustomed  to  the  level,  mo- 
notonous scenery  of  home,  is  most  delightfully 
situated.  Portions  of  the  city,  being  built  upon 
picturesque  hills,  which,  like  those  of  St.  Paul, 
Minnesota,  have  not  been  graded  down  to  make 
level  streets,  but  left  in  their  natural  beauty,  pre- 
sent an  undulating  and  pleasing  prospect  to  ati 
udmirer  of  varied  s -nery.  These  elevations  afford 
excellent  views  of  the  city,  the  bay,  crowded  with 
shipping,  and  the  Golden  Gate,  with  its  open  wel- 
come to  the  sea. 

The  churches  have  fewer  and  less  elevated  stee- 
ples than  those  of  the  Eastern  cities ;  probably 
they   are    constructed    with    reference    to  earth- 
quakes, which,  though  claimed  by  scientific  men 
(281) 


282  OVER   THE    PUKPLE    HILLS. 

to  be  aiinospheric  instead  of  volcanic,  nevertheless 
cause  more  damage  to  lofty  than  lower  structures. 
The  business  houses  are  large  and  spacious,  for  the 
Jalifornians  like  plenty  of  room,  and  that  as  near 
.erra  firma  as  possible.  The  merchants  are  par- 
ticularly fond  of  fresh  air  and  sunshine,  and  many 
of  them  transact  their  business  upon  the  sidewalk. 
The  scene  from  the  bay  is  enchanting  to  a  lover 
of  variety.  Steamers  are  leaving  for  Panama  and 
other  points,  crowded  with  passengers  who  are 
flirting  adieus  with  their  handkerchiefs  to  friends 
on  shore.  A  schooner,  too  heavily  or  unevenly 
laden  with  baled  hay  has  upset,  scattering  her 
cargo  in  every  direction  upon  the  blue  waters,  the 
hay  following  the  current  and  sailing  towards  the 
Pacific.  White  barges  and  water  craft  of  every  de- 
scription are  being  loaded  and  unloaded  by  people 
of  every  hue  and  nationality. 

As  for  the  autumn  climate' of  this  city,  whatever 
it  may  be  at  other  seasons,  it  is  anything  but  sa- 
lubrious or  agreeable  to  pulmonary  or  bronchial 
invalids,  and  the  sooner  they  make  their  exit  from 
San  Francisco,  the  better  it  will  be  for  their 
coughs   and  colds.     Fugs  are  frequent,  are  very 


fAK    FRANCISCO.  283 

heavy,    and   have  an    inflammatory    effect   upon 
throat,  lungs,  eyes  and  nose. 

The  climate  of  San  Francisco,  according  to  the 
testimony  of  their  meteorologists,  is  unlike  that  of 
any  other  city  in  the  world.  It  has  essentially  two 
climates,  and  there  is  a  constant  conflict  between 
the  land  and  sea  temperature  for  supremacy.  The 
ocean  breeze  partakes  of  the  temperature  of  the 
Pacific,  which  is  ajoout  fifty-three  degrees  Fahren- 
heit the  whole  year.  From  the  Coast  Range  of 
mountains,  near  the  Golden  Gate,  there  is  a  cur- 
rent of  cool,  damp  air,  of  the  same  temperature 
as  the  ocean,  laden  with  misty  clouds,  which  lin- 
ger near  the  base  of  the  hills  and  penetrate  the 
valleys  around  San  Francisco  Bay. 

The  land  temperature  is  as  nearly  opposite  to 
that  of  the  ocean  as  possible.  It  is  generally  hot 
and  dry,  and  the  two  climates,  acting  upon  each 
other  produce  one  which  has  no  parallel  anywhere. 
The  extensive  territory  lying  about  the  bay  is 
within  scope  of  these  two  climates,  and  subject  to 
their  joint  influence.  Though  neither  very  warm 
nor  very  cold,  and  quite  stimulating  to  mental  and 
physical  energies,  it  is   nevertheless  not  the  per- 


OVER   THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

fectly  healthful  climate  which  invalids  from  the 
-Atlantic  States  come  in  search  of.  One  chills  so 
easily,  and  there  are  so  many  weather  changes 
that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  dress  properly  to 
meet  them.  Colds  and  catarrh  are  prevalent,  and 
pocket  handkerchiefs,  cough  drops,  bronchial 
troches,  and  every  species  of  patent  medicine  ad- 
vertised for  these  afflictions  are  in  active  and  con- 
stant demand. 

The  face  of  Nature  here  during  the  last  days  of 
November  is  exceedingly  charming.  Scarcely  a 
more  beautiful  sight  can  be  imagined  than  the 
sudden,  cheerful  change  presented  by  the  sur- 
rounding hills  after  the  first  showers.  These  hills 
are  treeless,  and  their  sharp  peaks  and  deep  gul- 
lied sides  are  covered  with  a  carpet  of  deep,  vel- 
vety green,  which  is  their  winter  garb.  Plants  and 
flowers  flourish  finely  in  the  open  air,  as  no  irri- 
gation is  now  needed  to  keep  them  in  full  growth 
and  bloom.  Ornamental  plants  grow  to  a  size  un- 
known in  Eastern  cities.  The  cactus  variety  at- 
tains a  gigantic  size,  while  the  fuchsias  are  ten 
or  twelve  feet  in  height,  and  bloom  profusely 
throughout  the   entire  winter  in    the  open  air. 


SAN    FRANCISCO.  285 

Geraniums  of  every  variety,  heliotropes,  oleanders 
— in  fact  all  our  Eastern  hot-house  plants  find 
their  native  and  congenial  climate  here. 

San  Francisco  possesses  many  fine  public  build- 
ings. Among  these  is  the  Orphan  Asylum,  which 
looms  up  from  one  of  her  hills  like  an  ancient  feu- 
dal castle,  its  substantial  stone  walls  being  cov- 
ered with  ivy  and  clambering  vines,  while  the 
sloping  hill-sides  descending  from  it  are  green 
with  the  verdure  of  grass  and  shrubbery.  Her 
churches,  school-buildings  and  private  dwellings 
are  not  excelled  in  architectural  beauty  or  con- 
venience and  adaptability  by  those  of  her  sister 
cities  in  the  East. 

The  liquor  traffic  is  here  as  with  the  whole  na- 
tion, the  most  money-making  pursuit,  and  whisky 
and  stimulating  and  intoxicating  beverages  of  ev- 
ery description  are  the  curse  of  this  coast.  Bed 
noses,  bleared  eyes,  foul  breaths,  and  all  the  train 
of  physical  and  mental  evils  which  follow  the  dai- 
ly use  of  alcoholic  beverages  are  everywhere 
apparent.  The  native  born  children  have  a  fine 
physical  development,  and  were  it  not  for  the  in- 
heritance of  intemperance  might,  in  a  few  genera- 


286  OVER   THE    POBPLB    HILLS. 

tions,  attain    mankind'3    primitive    perfection    in 
health  and  longevity. 

San  Francisco  possesses  many  valuable  manu- 
factories. The  manufacture  of  silver  plate  of  chaste 
and  elaborate  designs  and  excellent  quality  is 
largely  carried  on.  "Woolen  blankets,  of  soft,  fleecy 
texture,  and  shawls,  gloves  and  hose  are  produced 
in  such  abundance  as  to  supply  the  entire  home 
market.  There  is  great  jealousy  of  Eastern  manu- 
facturers who  send  iheir  productions  here  to  find 
a  market,  and  many  consider  the  Pacific  Railroad 
as  a  detriment,  since  foreign  manufacturers  can 
compete  with  and  destroy  the  profits  of  home  in- 
dustry in  a  greater  degree  than  when  commerce 
was  entirely  carried  on  by  water.  Silk  culture  is 
constantly  developing,  and  is  quite  profitable  to 
the  producer.  The  cocoons  are  of  a  much  finer 
quality  than  those  of  Japan  and  China,  and  though 
silk  is  not  successfully  manufactured  here,  the  co- 
coons find  a  ready  market  in  France  and  Italy. 


THE  VERNAL  SEASON  <  >X  THE  PACIFIC 

'.ST. 

TO  Northern  and  Eastern  sojourners  the  ver- 
nal season  here,  in  the  metropolis  of  the  Pa- 
cific Coast,  is  so  far  advanced  that  spring  appears 
lost  in  the  gorgeous  bloom  of  mid-summer.  The 
reigu  of  flowers  is  fully  upon  us,  and  many  of  the 
earlier  varieties  of  annual  roses  have  passed  their 
season  and  are  covering  the  ground  with  their 
faded  leaves,  while  the  later  varieties  and  the  per- 
petual bloomers  perfume  the  air  and  beautify  the 
landscape.  Bouquets,  composed  of  all  the  more 
hardy  roie%  camelias  and  japonicas,  intermingled 
with  fuchsias  and  less  choice  flowers  are  abundant 
and  decorate  stores,  churches  and  homes.  Oranges 
and  the  fruits  of  the  season  are  coming  into  mar- 
ket too,  a.s  well  as  an  endless  variety  of  vegetables. 
(287 


288  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

The  Chinese  are  verj?  successful  in'the  cultivation 
of  the  latter — as  well  as  all  manner  of  horticultu- 
ral  and  agricultural  productions.  They  possess 
the  faculty  of  making  a  few  acres  yield  as  much 
as  an  American  would  grow  on  three  times  the 
quantity  of  land.  Every  inch  of  ground  is  culti- 
vated, at.d  their  economy  is  beyond  everything. 
All  their  vegetables  are  brought  to  market  by 
means  of  the  neck  yoke. 

The  Chinese  constitute  one  of  the  peculiar  insti- 
tutions of  the  Pacific  Coast,  as  do  the  negroes  of 
the  Southern  States.  It  is  curious  to  watch  them 
in  their  labors,  and  especially  in  their  homes, 
which  for  dense  population  in  limited  space  may 
well  be  compared  to  ant-hills.  Their  unlimited 
perseverance  makes  them  successful  in  whatever 
they  undertake. 

Upon  the  long  flats  extending  along  the  Oak- 
land and  Alameda  shores  the  Chinamen  have 
extensive  fisheries,  and  when  they  cast  their  nets 
amid  the  shoals  of  smelt  and  herring  which  abound 
here  at  high  water,  they  capture  myriads  of  these 
shiners  with  the  same  facility,  ease  and  success  as 
appear  to  crown  all  their  efforts.  When  their  boats 


THE    VERNAL    SEASON.  289 

are  filled  with  glittering  heaps  of  fishes,  then  be- 
gins the  work  of  cleaning,  drying  and  packing  ; 
while  so  engaged,  the  Chinaman  lightens  his  toil 
by  a  low,  guttural  song,  which  evidently  cheers 
him  and  fills  his  soul  with  pleasing  dreams  of  hi3 
flovvery  home,  though  to  Christian  ears  the  noise 
he  makes  is  not  only  devoid  of  melody,  but  per- 
fectly heathenish. 

In  the  mines,  the  Chinese  work  steadily  and 
faithfully,  and  where  this  industry  is  extensively 
carried  on  they  are  more  reliable  than  miners  of 
European  nationality.  They  have  many  curious 
ceremonies  and  religious  rites.  Although  all  those 
who  have  the  means  are  buried  in  the  land  of 
their  nativity,  many  die  here  who  are  too  poor, 
or  have  no  friends  to  send  their  remains  thither. 
These  have  a  burial  place  provided  for  them  in 
San  Francisco,  to  which  all  orthodox  Chinamen 
make  a  semi-annual  pilgrimage,  for  the  purpose 
of  placing  rice  and  other  provisions  upon  the 
graves  of  those  of  their  countrymen  who  are 
forced  to  sleep  their  last  sleep  in  the  land  of  the 
barbarians. 

They  then  bless  or  charm  numerous  pieces  of 
19 


290  OVER   THE  PURPLE    HILLS. 

paper,  tear  these  into  small  bits,  and  scatter  them 
to  the  four  points  of  the  compass — a  ceremony 
which  they  believe  exorcises  and  banishes  evil 
spirits,  and  prevents  them  from  disturbing  the  re- 
pose of  their  deceased  friends-  Heathen  though 
they  are.  they  are  by  no  means  averse  or  indiffer- 
ent to  the  teachings  of  Christianity.  SeveraJ 
Protestant  denominations  have  been  very  success- 
ful in  the  work  of  proselyting. 

The  ignorance,  immorality  and  servility  of  the 
women  of  China  is  the  main  obstacle  to  the  eleva- 
tion of  the  Chinese  as  a  people.  Like  the  Moham- 
medan nations  of  the  East,  and  all  heathen  and 
barbarous  people,  they  believe  women  to  be  a  low- 
er order  of  beings,  without  souls,  to  whom  Para- 
dise will  be  denied  hereafter,  and  whose  sole 
earthly  mission  is  to  minister  to  man  and  to  serve 
him.  For  ages  this  slavery  has  existed,  and  the 
Chinawoman  is  as  perfectly  satisfied  with  her  con- 
dition as  Mesdames  Sherman  and  Dahlgren  and 
the  Massachusetts  protestors  against  woman  suf- 
frage. Like  these  respected  ladies,  they  regard 
the  woman  who  is  dissatisfied  with  her  condition 
as  a  most  horrible  and  unnatural  monstrosity,  and 


THE    VERNAL    SEASON.  291 

the  very  few  heroines  that  China  has  produced 
are  held  up  to  posterity  as  models  of  sin  and  in- 
spirations of  the  spirit  of  evil.  Polygamy  is  uni- 
versal, and  the  highest  ambition  of  woman  is  to 
be  a  meek  and  humble  consort  to  her  husband, 
who  is  her  lord  and  master. 

Manufactures  are  being  constantly  encouraged 
and  developed  in  San  Francisco.  Blankets  and 
woolen  cloths  are  woven  here  which  cannot  be  ex- 
celled in  any  portion  of  the  world.  The  manufac- 
ture of  silk  is  not  yet  in  a  nourishing  condition, 
owing  to  want  of  capital  and  to  the  great  demand 
for  cocoons  for  exportation.  Several  glove  factories 
are  prosperous  and  promise  to  supply  not  only  the 
home  market,  but  portions  of  South  America,  the 
Pacific  Coast  States,  and  the  Territories.  Buck- 
skins and  dog-skins  are  commonly  used,  the  for- 
mer for  working  gloves  and  the  latter  for  riding 
and  driving  gloves.  The  buckskins  are  sold  in  the 
markets  in  large  quantities  by  hunters  and  trap- 
pers, and  are  tanned  at  the  different  tanneries  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  city.  Woolen  gloves  of  a  very 
superior  quality  and  finish  are  extensively  manu- 
factured  for   Montana   and  the   more   Northern 


292        OVER  THE  PURPLE  HILLS. 

countries.  Kid  glove  making  will  become  profita- 
ble in  time,  when  more  attention  is  given  to  the 
rearing  of  goats;  as  yet,  many  so-called  kid 
gloves  are  made  of  lamb,  squirrel,  and  even  cat- 
skins.  The  sewing  of  gloves  is  generally  done  by 
women,  many  of  whom  work  at  their  homes  as  in 
the  factories. 

San  Francisco  is  a  city  that  awakens  the  sym- 
pathies of  the  philanthropist  and  humanitarian 
more  fully  than  any  other  of  its  size  and  natural 
advantages.  The  natural  influx  of  strangers  from 
all  parts  of  the  earth,  and  the  numberless  disap- 
pointed ones  who  came  hither  with  golden 
dreams  which  have  never  been  realized,  the  com- 
mingling of  many  incongruous  elements,  the 
dearth  of  labor  and  the  distress  consequent  there- 
on—all touch  the  sympathetic  heart. 


THE  SAN  JOAQUIN  RIVER. 


TT^HE  waters  of  the  San  Joaquin  (pronounced 
JL  by  the  natives  San  Waukeen)  River,  are 
dark  and  muddy  with  the  soil  which  is  swept  into 
them  from  the  mining  regions  in  the  mountains. 
The  San  Joaquin  Valley  is  a  great  grain  produc- 
ing district.  Thousands  of  tons  of  wheat  are  await- 
ing shipment,  the  home  market  being  glutted 
with  breadstuffs  of  every  kind.  Plums,  figs,  al- 
monds and  grapes  grow  abundantly.  *  The  latter 
are  pruned  until  they  appear  as  though  nothing 
remained  but  the  roots  and  a  branch  or  two,  yet 
they  very  soon  grow  to  vines  and  yield  an  abund- 
ant harvest. 

Such  vegetables  as  beets  and  carrots  grow  to  an 
enormous  size — the  former  sometimes  weighing 
fifty  pounds;    they  are  unfit  to  eat  and  are  fed  to 

(293) 


294  OVER   THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

cattle.  A  great  profusion  of  wild  flowers  bloom 
around  the  base  of  the  mountains ;  among  these 
the  yellow  violet,  with  a  dark  center,  and  the 
California  poppy  are  most  numerous ;  the  latter 
is  very  poisonous,  and  the  cattle  avoid  it  with  that 
brute  instinct  which  teaches  them  its  dangerous 
properties. 

The  experiment  of  importing  Cashmere  goats 
promises  to  become  a  success  in  this  valley.  The 
goats  soon  become  acclimated,  and  will  eventually 
prove  very  profitable  to  their  owners.  Great 
herds  of  cattle  and  immense  flocks  of  sheep  are  to 
be  found  on  the  fine  pasturage  upon  the  sunny 
slopes  of  the  hills  and  in  the  mountain  valleys  ; 
the  sheep  are  sometimes  watched  by  a  shepherd, 
who  appears  to  the  tourist  the  very  picture  of  in- 
dolent repose  ;  as  we  saw  one  "reclining  lazily  up- 
on a  mossy  bank,  resting  his  right  arm  upon  his 
crook,  we  recalled  to  mind  a  libelous  anecdote  of 
one  of  his  confreres.  A  traveler  among  the  Alps 
relates,  that  during  his  peregrinations  he  found  a 
shepherd  weeping  bitterly,  and  apparently  in 
great  distress  ;  upon  inquiring  what  the  trouble 
was,  the  shepherd  replied  that  he  was  very  hun- 


THE   SAN    JOAQUIN.  295 

gry.  "Well,  get  up,  my  good  friend — come  with 
me,  and  I  will  attend  to  your  necessities,'''  said 
the  traveler.  "  Oh,  good  sir,  if  I  chose  to  get  up 
I  could  get  my  own  dinner,  which  is  in  that  bas- 
ket, hanging  on  yonder  tree  ;  if  you  wish  to  do  a 
kind  act,  please  bring  it  to  me,  for  I  have  not  the 
energy  to  fetch  it  myself,"  replied  the  shepherd. 
"  Well,  friend,"  said  the  traveler,  "  if  you  are  too 
lazy  to  get  up,  why  then  starve." 

The  sagacious  instinct  of  the  shepherd  dog  is 
truly  wonderful ;  the  utmost  reliance  can  be 
placed  upon  him,  for  he  never  neglects  his  trust — 
always  keeping  the  sheep  within  a  certain  limit, 
and  guarding  them  from  wolves  and  other  dan- 
gers ;  he  certainly  deserves  eulogism,  for  however 
indolent  his  master  may  be,  he  is  ever  on  the 
alert,  and  though  he  may  suffer  the  pangs  of  hun- 
ger, he  has  never  been  known  to  attack,  kill  or 
eat  a  sheep. 

The  location  of  Sacramento  renders  it  unhealthy 
and  subject  to  agues,  fevers,  and  all  diseases  of  a 
malarious  nature ;  the  sudden  melting  of  the 
mountain  snow  swells  the  river  to  such  an  extent 
that  the  city  and  surrounding  country  are  often 


296  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLS. 

inundated,  producing  great  destruction  to  life  and 
property — and  additional  malaria  is  caused  by  the 
receding  of  the  waters.  Notwithstanding  these 
natural  disadvantages,  Sacramento  is  steadily  im- 
proving ;  many  buildings  are  in  process  of  con- 
struction, some  of  which  are  fine  palatial  struct- 
ures, but  the  greatest  number  are  modest,  genteel 
little  cottages,  adapted  to  the  wants  of  families 
who  desire  to  live  pleasantly  and  keep  out  of  debt 
— on  a  small  income. 

At  the  State  House  we  endeavored  to  take  an 
inventory  of  a  small  mountain  of  whiskey,  wine 
and  beer  bottles  and  oyster  shells — by  which  it 
was  surrounded,  but  our  mathematics  failed,  and 
we  gave  up  the  attempt  in  despair.  Won't  we  wo- 
men have  a  time  cleaning  these  Augean  stables  of 
wine,  whiskey  and  beer  bottles,  cigar  stumps,  bro- 
ken pipes,  tobacco  juice,  etc.  when  we  vote  and 
legislate.  It's  a  fearful  responsibility,  0  California 
legislators,  and  though  we  assume  it  with  prayer- 
ful fear  and  trembling,  we  shall  not  hesitate  to  do 
our  duty  when  the  hour  arrives. 

One  of  the  features  of  Sacramento  is  her  res- 
taurants.    They   are  numerous,    clean    and    well 


fHB    .SAN    JOAQUIN.  297 

kept.  Many  travelers,  and  even  resident  families, 
procure  their  meals  here,  as  in  Paris,  Berlin,  and 
the  European  capitols.  A  masculine  waiter  re- 
ceives ^4.0  per  month  and  expenses,  while  the  fe- 
male waiter,  for  doing  exactly  the  same  work,  and 
doing  it  with  greater  despatch  and  more  adapta- 
bility, receives  $20.  What  a  comment  upon  the 
injustice  practiced  by  the  voting  towards  the  non- 
voting citizen  ! 

But  "for  the  desert  the  fount  fringing," 

as  the  Legislature  has  made  important  changes  in 
respect  to  the  rights  of  women.  It  is  now  pro- 
vided that  the  earnings  of  the  wife  shall  not  be 
liable  for  the  debts  of  the  husband ;  that  the  earn- 
ings and  accumulations  of  the  wife  and  her  minor 
children,  living  with  or  being  in  her  custody,  if 
the  wife  be  living  separate  or  apart  from  her  hus- 
band, shall  be  the  separate  property  of  the  wife, 
and  that  the  wife,  if  living  separate  or  apart  from 
her  husband,  shall  have  the  exclusive  use  and 
control  of  her  separate  property,  may  sue  and  be 
sued,  without  joining  or  being  joined  by  her  hus- 
band, and  may  avail  herself  of  and  be  subject  to 
all  legal  process  in  all  actions,  including  actions 
concerning  her  real  estate. 


GILROY. 

GILROY  is  laid  out  like  Superior  Oity  and 
McGregor,  Iowa — that  is,  one  continuous 
and  exceedingly  long  street,  upon  which  all  the 
business  houses,  and  the  most  prominent  private 
dwellings  are  located.  For  a  pioneer  Western 
town  it  strikes  the  stranger  as  a  marvel  of  neat- 
ness ;  its  buildings  are  large  and  capacious,  occu- 
pying much  space  upon  the  ground,  and  are  nearly 
all  one  story  in  height,  to  render  them  less  liable 
to  fall  from  earthquakes. 

California  develops  precocious  growth  in  all 
things-vegetables,  fruit,  trees,  cities  and  children. 
This  rapid  growth  exhausts  vitality  and  leads  to 
early  decay,  and  often  premature  death.  Capacious 
stores,  whose  thick  Venetian  shades  close  out  the 

(2981 


GILROY.  299 

cheerful  light  of  our  bright  skies,  attract  many- 
customers,  and  looking  at  the  signs  above  their 
doors  we  read,  "  Sample  Rooms,"  and  the  nature 
of  the  samples  sold  there  is  made  manifest  to  the 
stranger  by  the  red  noses  and  bleared  eyes  of  the 
numerous  customers  who  patronize  these  "  sample 
rooms,"  which,  like  all  the  drinking  saloons  of 
California  and  the  entire  West,  do  a  flourishing 
business,  and  in  a  measure  account  for  much  of 
the  depression  evident  in  the  useful  and  happier 
vocations  of  life,  since  they  lure  their  patrons  to 
temptation  and  ruin,  and  unfit  them  for  every 
good  and  noble  purpose. 

It  is  indeed  pleasurable  to  turn  from  these  well 
patronized  whiskey  shops  and  their  degenerate 
patrons,  to  the  lovely  natural  surroundings  of  the 
town.  Ranges  of  majestic  hills  raise  their  misty 
summits  from  all -points  of  the  compass,  encircling 
it  like  a  beautiful  verdure-crowned  fortification  of 
nature.  Spring  is  far  advanced,  plowing  and 
planting  nearly  over,  and  the  hopes  of  a  remuner- 
ative harvest  are  thus  far  excellent. 

Fourteen  miles  from  here  are  located  the  Gil- 
roy  Hot  Springs,  celebrated  in  the  State  for  their 


300  OVER    THE    PURPLE    IliLLS. 

medicinal  properties.  They  are  sulphuric,  some- 
what resembling  theWarm  Springs,  of  Litte  Bock, 
Arkansas,  and  are  very  efficacious  for  rheumatic 
•diseases,  coughs,  cokta  and  liver  disorders  ;  they 
are  much  frequented  by  invalids  from  this  and 
neighboring  States,  as  Gilroy  is  easily  reached  by 
railway,  and  the  last  fourteen  miles  are  accom- 
plished by  stages,  which  run  regularly  twice  a 
week. 

This  vicinity  is  largely  settled  by  people  from 
the  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  with  an  inter- 
mixture of  a  "  right  smart  sprinkling  "  of  enter- 
prising Yankees,  and  consequently  the  appearance 
of  Gilroy  is  more  pleasing  and  progressive  than 
that  of  the  neighboring  Spanish  towns.  The  Yan- 
kee element,  like  the  English  language,  having 
absorbed  all  others,  until  the  individual  identity 
of  each  is  lost — the  good  and'  evil  of  both,  like 
tares  and  wheat,  continue  to  grow  together.  Thus, 
an  enterprising  weekly  newspaper  is  published 
here,  and  churches  and  rooster  fights  are  both 
well  patronized  on  Sundays,  and  schools  and 
drinking-saloons  on  week  days.  Vice  and  immor- 
ality, as  in  older  communities,  rear  their  destroy- 


GILROY. 


301 


ing  heads  amid  virtue  and  purity.  The  climate  is 
very  fine,  never  extremely  warm  or  severely  cold, 
with  a  dry,  bracing  air,  clear,  sunny  skies,  and 
invigorating  sea  and  mountain  breezes. 


LOS    ANGELES. 


LOS  ANGELES,  owing  to  its  inland  situa- 
tion, presents  an  aspect  of  isolation  to  the 
tourist  who  visits  it  for  the  first  time.  It  is  loca- 
ted twenty  miles  from  San  Pedro  Bay,  an  inlet  of 
the  Pacific,  with  which  it  is  connected  by  a  rail- 
road, which  is  the  only  one  in  the  State,  at  pres- 
ent, south  of  Santa  Clara  county.  The  coast  range 
of  mountains,  in  proximity  to  the  Pacific,  extends 
through  the  entire  length  of  Los  Angeles  county 
in  a  northwestern  and  southeastern  direction.  The 
city  itself  is  situated  in  an  arid,  alkaline  valley, 
clothed  with  a  very  sparse  vegetation  between  it 
and  San  Pedro  Bay,  which  is  the  case,  with  the 
exception  of  small,  fertile  tracts,  in  the  entire  sur- 
rounding country. 

This  portion  of  Southern  California  corresponds 

(302) 


LOS    ANGELES.  303 

in  climate  to  that  of  the  south  shore  of  Europe, 
from  the  Bosphorus  to  Gibraltar.  In  clearness  of 
sky,  in  mildness  and  equality  of  temperature,  it  is" 
said  to  surpass  the  climate  of  the  Italian  and 
Spanish  coasts,  and  those  whose  heaven  is  always 
farther  West,  ever  beyond  the  pale  of  advanced 
civilization,  pronounce  it  much  more  attractive. 
The  mountain  summits  are  covered  with  snow, 
consequently  the  wind  currents  which  blow  from 
them  are  cold,  mitigating  the  natural  tropical 
heat.  The  influence  of  the  trade  winds,  inland 
from  the  ocean,  though  they  increase  the  heat  of 
summer  and  the  cold  of  winter,  are  obviated  by 
the  regular  sea  breezes,  which  make  the  winters 
warmer  and  the  summers  cooler.  These  varied 
natural  causes  produce  a  really  magnificent  cli- 
mate, which  may  be  compared  to  a  constant  and 
beautiful  spring. 

Notwithstanding  that  large  tracts  of  country 
are  of  an  alkaline  nature,  wholly  barren,  present- 
ing a  white,  desolate  appearance,  as  if  the  earth 
bad  been  thickly  dusted  with  flour,  there  are  other 
more  fertile  portions,  which,  though  quite  as  arid 
in  appearance,  partake  of  the  sandy  qualities  of  the 


304  OVER    THE    PURPLE    HILLfJ. 

soil  of  Florida  and  the  coast  districts  of  the  West 
Indies.  These  produce  the  fruits  of  the  tropical 
and  semi-tropical  climates  in  great  abundance. 
Oranges  and  raisins  are  the  principal  productions. 

Orange  culture  is  a  leading  branch  of  industry. 
The  trees  nourish  in  the  open  air  like  common  or- 
chard trees  of  the  North,  and  the  fruit  ripens 
from  December  to  May,  at  a  time  when  there  are 
few  oranges  from  the  Haiwaiian  or  adjacent  is- 
lands in  the  California  markets.  Healthy  trees  in 
full  bearing  produce  a  thousand  or  more  oranges 
a  year,  whose  marketable  value  is  estimated  at 
from  two  to  five  dollars  per  hundred.  The  trees 
do  not  come  to  full  maturity  before  they  are  ten 
years  old,  and  will  not  thrive  in  arid  soil  without 
irrigation. 

There  are  many  orange  nurseries  in  this  vicin- 
ity, where  hundreds  of  thousands  of  young  trees 
are  sown  and  then  grafted  before  being  trans- 
planted into  orchards.  The  orange  tree  is  not  as 
hardy  as  is  generally  supposed,  at  least  not  in  this 
country,  where  it  is  not  indigenous,  but  imported, 
though  with  careful  culture  it  is  becoming  accli- 
mated.   Many  perish  in  transplanting,  and  in  the 


3    ANGELES.  305 

nurseries  they  are  subject  to  the  attacks  of  go- 
phers, which  destroy  them,  and  a  bug  called  the 
orange  aphis,  which  injures  the  leaves,  rendering 
the  trees  barren,  and  causing  them  to  perish.  No 
method  of  killing  this  insect,  or  averting  its  de- 
stroying ravages  has  as  yet  been  discovered ;  like 
the  cut-worm  of  northern  climes,  it  comes,  com- 
mits its  work  of  devastation  and  then  disappears 
without  any  known  cause.  Lemons,  sweet  and 
sour  limes,  flourish,  and  produce  abundantly. 
Their  culture  is  similar  to  the  orange  and 
are  subject  to  the  same  diseases  and  destroying^ 
influencss. 

Next  to  orange  culture,  the  cultivation  of  the 
grape  is  the  leading  agricultural  industry  of  Los 
Angeles  county.  The  production  of  wines  and 
brandies  amounts  to  thousands  of  gallons,  and. 
great  quantities  of  fresh  grapes  are  used  in  home 
consumption  and  for  exportation.  The  Tokay  and 
Muscat  wines  are  produced  superior  to  those  in 
Europe,  while  Port,  Burgundy,  Hock,  Claret  and 
Champagne  are  said  to  be  (by  epicurean  drinkers),. 
equal  to  the  best  vintages  of  France  and  the  Rhine 
valley.     The  Malaga  grape  yields  large,  fine    rai- 


306  OVER   THE  PURPLE    HILLS. 

sins,  which  command  a  ready  market  and  remun- 
erative prices.  The  fig  tree  thrives  and  yields 
abundantly  in  those  situations  which  are  on  a  lev- 
el with  the  sea  and  exempt  from  the  keen  ocean 
breezes.  Dates,  palms,  olives,  English  walnuts, 
almonds  and  peanuts  thrive  with  little  care  and 
well  repay  the  laborer  for  their  cultivation.  North 
of  this  city  the  country  is  unsettled  and  unculti- 
vated, and  where  alkali  lands  do  not  exist,  is  well 
adapted  to  grazing  purposes,  though  its  liability 
to  drought  is  a  great  drawback. 

The  population,  like  that  of  all  South  California, 
is  greatly  mixed.  Many  nationalities  and  people 
find  representatives  here.  Our  Southern  ex-slave- 
holding,  aristocratic  element,  who  believe  that  ad- 
vanced civilization  can  only  exist  where  the  masses 
are  illiterate,  and  hence  subservient  to  the  educa- 
ted few,  whose  mission  it  is  to  be  the  governing  and 
thinking  power  as  is  theirs  to  be  the  muscular  and 
laboring  power,  and  who,  like  the  old  Bourbons, 
learn  nothing  and  forget  nothing,  have  taken  re- 
fuge here,  where  both  climate  and  surroundings 
are  congenial.  Among  them  are  many  profession- 
al men,  particularly  lawyers.      There   are    Ger- 


LOS    ANGELES.  307 

mans  from  the  Pvhineland  who  cultivate  the  grape; 
Italians  and  French  engage  in  silk  culture  ;  con- 
servative Spaniards  whose  complexions  and  exter- 
iors resemble  the  oil,  the  olives  and  the  garlic  of 
which  they  are  so  fond,  and  who  have  progressed 
sufficiently  to  substitute  cock  fights  for  the  famous 
bull  fights  which  were  the  delight  of  their  chival- 
rous ancestors  ;  plodding,  blinking,  almond-eyed 
Cir.namen,  who  engage  in  any  and  every  put  suit, 
always  useful  and  moderately  successful  in  what- 
ever they  undertake  ;  Mexicans,  in  whom  the  evil 
propensities  of  Spaniard  and  Indian  progenitors 
are  inherent ;  Jews,  Englishmen  and  Irishmen, 
Digger  Indians,  and  a  very  small  proportion  of 
smart  unadulterated  Yankees  from  "  daown  East," 
who  as  yet  wield  but  little  influence  among  a  pop- 
ulation of  five  thousand  souls,  composed  of  so  many 
races  and  such  commingling  of  nationalities. 
Thieves,  vagabonds,  and  criminals  from  the  "Upper 
Country,"  as  the  territory  of  the  North  is  called, 
infest  a  rendezvous  in  the  mountain  districts,  and 
often  make  their  way  hither  on  their  route  to 
Mexico,  which  is  their  terrestrial  paradise.  In 
consequence  of  their  lawless  depredations,  a  vigi- 


308  OVER   THE   PURPLE   HILLS. 

lance  committee  has  been  organized,  composed   of 
some  of  the  leading  citizens  wh;>  occasionally  hang 
a  desperado  or  two  on  the  piazzas  or  gate  post  - 
the  old  Spanish  adobe  houses,  which  seem  especi- 
ally constructed  for  that  purpose. 

Private  and  public  buildings  bear   the  im; 
of  Spanish  nationality,  being  constructed  of  adobe, 
in  close  proximity  to  each  other,  with   the   bro 
overshadowing  piazzas,  without    which  no    Span- 
iard's house  is  complete,  and  which  are  so  connec- 
ted that  in  the  rainy  season   one   can   promenade 
the  whole  length  of  a  street  beneath  their  shelter. 
The  gates  to  the  courts  or  outer   yards   of  these 
buildings  are  a  curiosity,    reminding  one    of   the 
Medieval  ages,  with  their   great,    ponderous    gal- 
lows-like frame  work,  which  seem  solely  construc- 
ted for  the  hanging  business.      There    are    some 
handsome  modern  buildings,  but  the    general    as- 
pect of  the  city  is  Spanish.     Notwithstanding  the 
delightful  climate  of  this  portion  of  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia, with  its  luscious  fruits  and  abundance  and 
variety  of  wild    game,    it   has    many    drawbacks, 
which  serve  to  intimidate  the  ardor    and    peace- 
loving  emigrant.     Its  isolated  situation,    with    its 


LOS   ANGELES.  309 

barren  tracts  of  alkali,  whose  dust  is  very  injur- 
ious to  the  eyes,  its  mixed  population,  the  fre- 
quency of  brawls,  street  fights  and  murders,  and 
the  insecurity  and  immorality  consequent  upon 
tropical  latitudes,  its  liability  to  severe  droughts, 
are  all  powerful  causes  which  will  operate  against 
the  future  development  of  this  land  of  smiling 
skies,  whose  olives  and  vines  are  emblematical  of 
a  people  who  have  never  attained  a  high  or  per- 
manent degree  of  civilization  and  enlightenment. 


PETALUMA. 


fT^HE  whole  area  of  territory  comprised  in  Son- 
J_  oma  county  is  greatly  influenced  in  climate, 
productions,  etc.,  by  its  contiguity  to  the  ocean, 
a  considerable  portion  of  it  forming  the  boundary 
coast  line.  Dense  and  heavy  fogs  arise  from  the 
sea  every  morning,  creating  a  dampness  and  a  dew 
which  admirably  supply  the  place  of  rain,  and 
serve  at  once  to  irrigate  and  fertilize  the  soil,  pre- 
venting those  parchirjg  droughts  so  destructive  to 
crops,  and  so  discouraging  to  agriculturists  in 
more  inland  portions  of  the  State.  Consequently 
the  harvests  of  such  cereals  and  fruits  as  are  adap- 
table to  climate  and  soil  are  always  reliable.  The 
nights  and  mornings  are  too  cool  tor  the  rapid 
growth  required  in  the  successful  culture  of  corn, 
preventing  its  development  and  maturity,  though 
(310) 


PETALUMA.  311 

the  soil  around  the  foot-hills  is  as  fertile  as  in  Il- 
linois and  the  more  central  States  of  the  Union. 

The  summer  and  early  autumn  fruits  yield  so 
abundantly,  that  trees  break  and  split  beneath  the 
burden  of  their  delicious  harvests.  Peaches  and 
plums  of  many  varieties  are  exceedingly  plentiful, 
and  in  flavor  and  quality  are  unexcelled  in  any 
quarter  of  the  world.  Apples  become  wrinkled 
and  tasteless  after  being  gathered  a  short  time. 
They  are  largely  imported  from  the  Southren 
counties  of  Oregon,  where  they  grow  and  mature 
finely. 

Petaluma,  sixteen  miles  southward  among  the 
mountains,  lies  contiguous  to  a  shallow  stream,  or, 
rather  arm  of  the  ocean,  of  sufficient  depth  when 
the  tide  is  in,  to  be  navigable  for  vessels  carrying 
from  sixty  to  one  hundred  tons  burden.  It  is  a 
quiet,  orderly  little  place,  with  fewer  whisky  shops 
than  the  towns  and  villages  in  its  neighborhood. 
Most  of  the  early  Spanish  settlers  have  sold  out 
and  emigrated  to  Mexico,  and  other  congenial 
localities,  and  a  different  class  of  people  taken 
their  places.  Consequently,  the  cock  and  dog 
fights,  which  were  formerly  the  Sunday  afternoon 


312  OVER   THE    PURPLE    HiLLS. 

entertainments,  have  become  extinct,  and  the 
seventh  day  is  quiet  nnd  respected  ;  business  in 
the  police  courts  is  dull,  and  peace  and  order 
reign  in  the  few  bar- rooms  which  yet  remain.  A 
fine  public  library  and  two  newspapers  speak  well 
for  the  intelligence  of  this  ltttle  community  on  the 
Pacific.  One  of  its  drawbacks,  however,  ia  the 
great  scarcity  of  fresh  water.  Owing  to  tho  long 
drouth,  the  cisterns  are  empty,  and  as  the  water 
from  the  stream  is  salt,  this  precious  element  of 
life  is  brought  from  a  distance  in  casks,  upon  drays, 
and  sold  for  seventy-five  cents  per  hogshead.  The 
streets  are  sprinkled  with  the  salt  water  from  the 
stream.  Grass  and  herbage  are  sere  and  brown, 
but  here  and  there  fine  patches  of  newly  planted 
vegetables  and  fields  of  cereals  are  green  and  fresh, 
being  nurtured  by  the  heavy  ocean  fogs  and  dews. 
The  climate  is  cool  and  invigorating,  and  the 
dampness  of  the  fogs  is  not  unsalubrious,  its  effects 
being  the  same  as  in  England,  and  its  people  great- 
ly resemble  those  of  chat  island  in  color,  complex- 
ion and  form.  An  old  adobe  house,  formerly  the 
liome  of  an  ancient  Spanish  governor,  is  quite  a 
curiosity.     It  was  built  anterior  to  the  ceding    of 


PETALUMA. 


California  to  the  Uijion,  and  has  been  used  as  a 
fort  in  the  Indian  wars.  Now  it  is  a  peaceable, 
dirty  farm  house  ;  the  cows  are  milked  within  its 
courtyard,  and  poultry  roost  upon  its  verandahs, 
while  pigs  are  fed  from  troughs  beneath,  and  their 
owners  live  within  its  tiiick  mad  walls,  all  dwelling 
together  in  peace,  like  the  happy  family  of  a  mu- 
seum. 


..   -  - 


HEALDSBURG 

IS  a  beautifully  located  little  town  on  the  Rus- 
sian Paver,  in  the  central  portion  of  Sonoma 
county.  It  is  nestled  amid  the  mountains,  and 
its  ocenn  breezes  render  its  climate  pleasant  and 
very  salubrious.  It  numbers  about  one  thousand 
inhabitants,  and  is  connected  by  a  railroad  with 
Santa  Rosa,  the  county  seat  of  Sonoma  county. 
Though  saline  lands  of  a  gentle  nature  are  found 
now  and  then,  their  stony,  glassy  substances  have 
no  poisonous  or  destructive  effects  upon  the  poultry 
that  feed  upon  them,  as  in  other  portions  of  the 
State.  Small  cereals  yield  largely,  and  even  ma- 
ture in  protected  localities.  The  water  of  the 
mountain  springs  is  deliciously  cooi,  soft  and  clear, 
and  Mother  Nature  has  bountifully  endowed  the 
regions  in  the  vicinity,  far  and  near.     The  char- 

(3U) 


HEALDSBURi:.  315 

acter  of  much  of  the  population  is  a  serious  draw- 
back to  progressive  growth.  It  is  principally  com- 
posed of  emigrants  from  Missouri  and  the  South- 
western States,  who  are  not  particularly  enlight- 
ened according  to  the  ideas  of  Eastern  progression- 
ists. They  make  it  their  boast  that  they  "don't 
car  to  read  nothin'  no  how  !"  are  disgusted  with 
common  schools  and  railroads,  and  "  stuck-up 
Northerners,"  and  speak  of  "selling  off"  and 
"  clarin'  out"  to  "  new  diggins"  in  some  unex- 
plored wilderness  where  the  Yankee  is  not,  a  ad 
where  they  can  end  their  conservative  lives  with- 
out being  tormented  by  the  progressive  institution 
of  Yankeedom.  Twenty-four  miles  from  Healds- 
burg  are  located  the  Geysers  or  wonderful  Cali- 
fornia hot  springs.  In  a  tract  of  lacd  embracing 
about  one  square  mile,  many  of  these  springs  are 
found,  boiling  and  bubbling  up  from  the  bosom  of 
mother  earth,  antidotes  for  numerous  diseases  and 
ailments  wThich  afflict  her  children.  From  some 
of  these,  pure  soda  may  be  obtained,  and  others 
are  greatly  impregnated  with  sulphur,  epsom  salts,. 
copperas,  salt  and  iron.  They  are  becoming  quite 
a  resort,  and  have  been  visited   during   the    past 


316 


OVER   THE    PURPLE    HILL.-:. 


summer  by  tourists  and  invalids  from  the  States 
and  other  portions  of  California.  Their  curative 
powers  for  rheumatism,  and  particularly  dyspep- 
sia, are  really  remarkable.  Cases  of  the  latter, 
of  twenty  years'  standing,  have  been  cured  by  the 
use  of  thete  waters  in  a  week.  There  are  also 
springs  within  three  miles  of  Healdsburg,  possess- 
ing excellent  curative  properties,  but  not  as  cele- 
brated as  the  Gevsers. 


SANTA  ROSA, 


fTHHE  county  seat  of  Sonoma  county,  is  situated 
JL  on  Santa  E,osa  Creek,  an  arm  of  the  Rus- 
sian River,  and  is  reached  by  rail  from  Petaluma, 
sixteen  miles  southward.  Its  population  is  very 
similar  in  nature  and  characteristics  to  that  ot 
Healdsburg  and  the  surrounding  country.  A  fine 
park  of  live  oaks,  directly  in  front  of  the  court- 
house, reminds  the  tourist  of  Florida,  and  gb 
tropical  appearance  to  the  scene,  both  by  their  invi- 
ting and  luxuriant  shade,  and  the  otherwise  ca re- 
nd ill  kept  appearance  of  the  park.  The 
court-house,  an  oldfashioned  building  of  red  brick, 
is  surmounted  by  a  dome,  ornamented  with  a 
marble  statue  of  the  Goddess  of  Justice,  with  her 
blinded  eyes  and  evenly  poised  scales. 


t,  ,  WCW* 


UPPER  PART  OF   NEVADA   COUNTY   IN 
APRIL. 

AT  Bloomfieid,  the  almond  and  peach  tree?  are 
in  blossom.  Five  miles  north,  to  v. 
Moore's  Flat,  the  snow  is  so  deep  that  a  wheeled 
conveyance  must  be  changed  for  a  sleigh,  and  the 
horses  "  slump"  knee  deep  at  every  step.  "  How 
is  that  for  altitude  ?"  One's  eyes  must  be  pro- 
tected from  the  glare  of  the  sunshine  upon  the 
snow,  or  he  may  find  himself  nearly  blind  from  the 
effect. 

There  is  upon  the  north  side  of  these  mountain 
trees,  a  beautiful  moss  of  the  most  delicate  green. 
This  is  an  inch  or  two  in  length  and  appears  like 
hair,  forming  an  overcoat  for  the  north  side  of  the 
tree,  to  protect  it  from  the  snows  and  winds  of 
winter. 

It  is  a  strange  thing  that  the    people    in    these 

(318) 


APRIL.  319 

mining  towns  should  keep  such  immense  bull-u 
Nearly  every  other  yard  is  ornamented  with   -one 
of  these  unhappy  creatures,  fastened    to   a    stake. 
Owing  to  the  diligence  and  enterprise  natural  to 
l>ieed  of  dogs,  they  are    compelled   to    whine 
out;i  miserable  existence    tf  imprisonment  in    the 
open  air,  literally  spoiling  for  an  insurance  ag 
at  book-peddler. 
style  of  this  chapter  reminds  me  of  a    con- 
jation  I  held  to-day  with  a    small    boy    about 
the  size  of  a  bag-pudding,  who  was  barefooted  and 
engaged  in  hunting  patches  of   snow   for   a    - 
made  of  a  dilapidated   washboard   turned    bottom 
upwards  and  bearing  the  patentee's  name.     I  will 
here  state  that  I  fouud  this  boy  as  utterly  incap- 
able of  sticking  to  a  proposition    and    making   a 
point,  as  some  of  our  modern   lecturers.       When 
interrogated  as  to  who  might  be  the  builder  of  his 
sled,  he  answered  that  "  he  had  a  shoe-string    in 
his  pocket,  and  that  he  would  rather  go  to  Uncle 
and  get  some  gam." 


COLFAX,    CAL. 

THE  town  of  Colfax  has  now  reached  the  age 
when,  like  most  of  its  mountain  contempo- 
raries, it  lives  more  in  the  past  than  ihe  present 
or  future.  It  is  a  pretty  lively  place  about  train 
time  ;  after  that  is  past,  it  relapses  into  a  gentle 
slumber,  like  a  family  watch-dog  after  the  occasion 
for  excitement  is  over.  The  people  here  think  it 
vain  to  take  a  man's  name  until  he  has  lived  his 
life,  breathed  his  last,  and  been  carried  out  as  dead 
as  Julius  Caesar. 

I  wish  the  United  States  would  go  to  war  with 
some  foreign  power,  the  Kingdom  of  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  for  instance,  Mexico  or  some  of  the  South 
American  States,  and  make  George  Francis  Train 
the  General.  There  is  a  class  of  men  living  in 
every  country  who  are  only  fit  for  a  mark  to  shoot 
(3201 


COLFAX.  321 

and  California  has  her  share  of  this  blear-eyed 
population  ;  men  whose  highest  aim  in  life  is  to 
see  how  much  whisky  or  lager  beer  they  can  hold. 
I  had  an  encounter  with  a  specimen  the  day  I  left 
Grass  Valley.  This  genius  was  bound  to  sit  upon 
the  seat  with  me,  and  also  that  I  should  partake 
of  the  contents  of  his  whisky  flask.  To  this  I  de- 
murred and  Qled  a  stay  of  proceedings.  He  seem- 
ed however,  to  recognize  the  accepted  fact  that 
women  only  live  by  toleration  in  communities,  and 
that  they  travel  entirely  upon  the  strength  of 
man's  generosity  and'  forbearance.  He  gently 
reminded  me  of  these  facts,  and  when  we  reached 
Colfax,  he  searched  to  find  if  I  had  a  big  brother 
that  he  might  thrash,  while  I  went  in  search  of  a 
warrant.  Alas  for  justice  in  Colfax!  She  has 
the  rheumatism,  and  is  slow  as  molasses  in  Janu- 
ary !  Before  I  could  get  the  papers  made  oui, 
and  completed  with  the  legal  formula,  the  train 
came  along  and  carried  this  American  voter  where 
the  "  woodbine  twineth,''  and  I  was  cheated  of  that 
revenge  so  sweet,  especially  to  women. 

A  remarkable  catastrophe  occurred  in  Colfax  a 
short  time  ago.     Two  cats  were  playing  upon  the 


322  OVER  THE    PUEPLE    HILLS. 

railroad  track,  in  front  of  the  depot,  when  a  train 
came  along,  ran  over  them,  and,  strange  to  say, 
cut  the  ears  off  both  cats,  and  one  had  his  tail 
taken  off,  while  Providence,  in  His  wisdom  and 
mercy,  spared  the  caudal  appendage  of  the  other. 
This  is  a  fact,  and  the  cats  may  be  seen  at  any 
in  Colfax,  alive  and  well. 
Colfax  has  also  its  regular  brindle  dog,  with 
terrible  eyes  and  horrible  teeth,  grinning  in  a 
mouth  that  has'the  appearance  of  being  lined  with 
red  flannel.  0  !  shades  of  Crockett — but  Crockett 
was  never  an  insurance  agent  nor  an  itinerant 
book- peddler  in  a  mountain  town  of  California. 


GOLD  RUN. 


GOLD  RUN  has  the  appearance  of  being  a  very 
small  town.  I  am  informed,  however,  that 
it  polls  as  many  votes  as  Dutch  Flat,  and  that  it  sus- 
tains as  many  saloons.  During  the  day,  when  the 
men  are  at  work  in  the  mines,  the  place  is  as  quiet 
as  a  Quaker  meeting;  and  if  the  Modocs  we  read  of, 
were  to  attack  this  town  in  the  day  time,  it  would 
'  be  likely  to  surrender  until  the  miners  returned 
at  night  with  picks  and  empty  bottles.  -  Then  it 
would  be  retaken,  as  the  Indians  would  fill  them- 
selves with  fire-water  during  the  day,  and  it  would 
be  an  easy  matter  to  pick  them  off  at  night, 
throw  the  bodies  into  the  miners'  flumes,  where 
the  water  is  so  deep  and  runs  so  swiftly,  that  about 
a  thousand  Modocs  could  be  disposed  of  in  one 
night.     Their  corpses  would  go  bobbing  through, 

{•62?,) 


324  OVER    THE    PURPLE    1HL 

about,  above,  around,  over  and  under  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains,  and  land  the  Lord  knows 
where,  and  Providence  don't  care.  I  have  fought 
this  battle  and  conquered  the  enemy,  and  the  peo- 
ple of  Gold  Ptun  are  entirely  ignorant  of  the  whole 
affair. 

The  hotel  in  this  town  ia  a  good  place  to  stop 
at ;  it  is  kept  by  a  fair-haired  Dane  who  endea- 
vors to  make  the  traveling  public  a  comfortable 
home  for  the  time  ;  the  yaids  are  nicely  cleaned. 
The  grounds  ab^-ut  these  country  hotels  generally- 
abound  in  old  boots,  shoes,  rags,  hats,  bones,  oy- 
ster-cans, cast-off  paper  collars  and  uucorked  bot- 
tles. This  mixture,  in  all  stages  of  decay,  sends 
up  a  thousand  odors  to  the  sleeping  apartments 
of  the  wretched  traveler,  and  if  it  were  not  that 
his  days  are  spent  entirely  in  the  open  air,  he  mu3t 
surely  contract  the  lame  leg  epidemic,  the  cerebro 
spinal  meningitis,  or  perish  for  the  want  of  breath. 

The  men  of  this  place  have  called  Scripture  to 
their  aid,  and  j  ustify  themselves  in  working  on 
Sundays  as  well  as  week  days,  by  quoting  that  the 
Sabbath  was  made  for  man,  not  man  for  the  Sab- 
bath.    There  has  been  a  Bible  agent  here  holding 


GOLD  RUN.  325 

prayer  meetings.  Thi3  will  do  among  women,  for 
it  is  an  acknowledged  fact  that  the  gods  will  never 
hold  woman  responsible  for  the  work  she  performs 
on  Sunday.  This  agent  said  something  to  a  wo- 
man about  "  Her  lambs  that  had  been  taken  to 
the  upper  fold."  He  also  spoke  of  the  woman  as 
a  "  dam,"  and  of  the  shepherd.  I  waited  to  Lear 
if  he  would  mention  the  man's  name  in  the  figura- 
tive sense.  He  said  nothing  more,  but  went  his 
way,  and  shortly  after  I  met  him  serenely  sitting 
in  the  door  of  a  saloon — the  great  leveler  of  creeds 
and  nationalities  when  it  comes  to  business. 

An  acquaintance  of  mine  gives  it  as  his  opinion 
that  I  have  been  afflicted  with  "  catology  from 
early  life."  He  might  have  added  "  dogmatics" 
also.  These  animals  form  a  part  of  our  domestic 
institutions.  I  love  them  and  sympatize  with 
them,  and  recognize  their  right  to  life,  liberty  and 
the  pursuit  of  happiness,  providing  the  happiness 
of  the  animal  does  not  depend  upon  annihilating 
my  unfortunate  itinerate  fraternity. 

Gold  Kun  has  its  remarkable  dog.  This  crea- 
ture has  taken  a  prejudice  against  milk  venders. 
He  boards  at  the  hotel,  but  has  contracted  with  a 


326  OVER   THE    PUEPLE   HILLS. 

respectable  sow  in  a  neighboring  yard,  to  furnish 
him  with  the  lacteal  fluid.  This  canine  may  be 
seen  several  times  a  day  taking  his  chances  with 
the  younger  members  of  the  sow's  fair; 


' 


J-Y  <-        Fr* 


DUTCH  FLAT. 


JUST  now  Dutch  Flat  appears  somewhat  like  a 
huge  bouquet  of  fruit  blossoms,  with  mountain 
ibs  for  background,  and  this  bouquet  has  just 
been  nicely  showered.  The  clerk  of  the  weather 
concluded  to  favor  us  at  last  with  a  downright  good 
rain,  and  everybody  put  on  a  smile  of  peaceful  re- 
signation ;  even  the  frogs  gave  a  concei  t  at  six 
o'clock  last  evening.  One  of  the  most  remarkable 
things  about  this  town  is  that  it  has  a  temperance 
hotel.  A  person  can  get  nothing  to  drink  in  this 
house  stronger  than  fresh  buttermilk,  and  it  is 
such  a  fine,  wholesome  beverage,  that  if  all  the  sa- 
loons kept  it  for  sale,  lager  beer  would  speedily 
fall  into  disuse.  When  I  was  sneezing  at  the  rate 
of  sixt.en  times  an  hour,  it  was  with  difficulty  that 
the  clerk  of  this  hotel  could  be  prevailed  upon    to 

(327) 


328  OVER   THE  PURPLE   HILLS. 

visit  the  neighboring  bar  and  procure  a  glass  of 
rum  and  molasses  that  I  might  have  a  "nightcap" 
in  order  to  raise  a  perspiration. 

There  :ire  at  present  not  less  than  four  citizens 
miners  in  this  place  who  have  lame  feet   or  sore 
toes,  and  go  upon  crutches.     This  scene  reminds 
me  ot  a  picture  I  used  to  see  about  forty  years  ago 
in  <k  Peter  Parley's  Primary    Geography."      The 
engraving  represented  a  fussy  old  pedagogue  with 
a  disabled  foot  resting  upon  a  chair.     This    won- 
derful cut  was  underlined  with  the  following   pa- 
thetic words  of  appeal  :  "  Take  care,  boys,  do  not 
run  against  my  sore  toe ;  if  you  do  I  shall  tell  you 
more  stories."     Some  call  this  a  "  frontispiece," 
but  to  me  it  was  a  "  masterpiece,"  and  I  have  ask- 
ed nearly  a  thousand  questions  of  as  many  differ- 
ent persons,  to  ascertain  if  possible  how  that   old 
schoolmaster  came  to    have    a  sore   toe.      Could 
never  find  any  one  wise  enough  to  give    me   any 
reliable  information  upon  the  subject.     Since  then 
I  have  looked  upon  sore  toes  as  a  mystery   past 
finding  out.     It  would  be  well  for  Brother  Taylor, 
the  founder  of  the  "  Champions  of  the  Bed  Cross," 
or  any  individual  of  similar  enterprise,  to  organize 


DUTCH  FLAT. 


329 


a  secret  society  known  as  "  The  Order  of  the  Great 
Toe."  The  object  of  this  order  should  be  to  mend 
broken  door  knobs,  replace  shattered  window 
panes  and  readjust  the  tumbled  down  doorsteps  of 
a  poor  distressed  brother. 


Is,  .  ■  VV^rM'vO  r-C 


BLUE  CANON. 

W.X   the    benevolent  angel    who   8] 
most  of  his  time  in  naming  new  pi 

-  town  in  his  christening  boat,    he 
that  it  had  the  appearance    of  being  draped 
with  a  thin  blue  veil.     The  shrubs  and  trees  sh 
ing  through,  made  it  look  like   beautiful   tracery 
or  raised  embroidery,  so  he  concluded    to    cull    it 
Blue  Canon,  and  it  has  been  known  by  that  name 
ever  sin,  e.     No  one  ever  told  by  whom  the  Book 
oi  Genesis  was  written,  and  I  am  iiOt  going  to  say 
how  I  came  by  the  above  tradition.       The   fr 
here  held  a    monotonous    dialogue    last    evening. 
One  saying,  "Will  you    give   credit!     will    tou 
give  credit?"     Another  answering,  in  deep  I 
"  I  will  give  credit,  I  will  give  credit."     A  third, 
in  a  voice  still  "  basser,"     said,    "Don't  you  give 

(3301 


BLUE  CA  331 

credit,  don't  you  give  credit."  Later  in  the  even- 
ing, about  the  time  honest  folks  retire,  I  heard 
them  say,  "  Get  up,  pay  up,  dry  up."  The  last 
clause  has  reference  to  the  weather,  undoubtedly. 
This  town,  like  its  western  neighbor,  Alta,  has  a 
good  hotel,  a  telegraph  office,  a  passenger  and 
freight  depot.  Here  endeth  the  first  chapter. 
Directly  in  front  of  the  hotel  are  forty  Chinamen 
at  work,  having  been  engaged  all  winter  clearing 
the  track  of  si;Ow  and  other  obstructions.  Now 
the  springy  bank  is  running  down  in  a  liquid 
form,  and  would  keep  the  track  mostly  covered 
but  for  these  miniature  laborers. 

They  do  so  much  remind  me  of  the  white  head- 
ed ants.  When  viewed  in  a  mass,  they  seem  so 
nearly  of  a  size,  the  sameness  of  their  straw  hats, 
and  the  little  fussy  motion  is  very  much  like  ants 
or  bees  at  work. 

These  men  are  paid    twenty-eight    dollars    per 

1  a  month,  and  board  themselves.      I  am  ex- 

-ed  occasionally  about  the    Chinese   question. 

I  think  it  would  be  well  for  the  New  York  Herald 

to  send  Livingston  Stanley   to    plant   a    Chinese 

colony  in  Central  Africa.     This  is  represented  by 


332       OVER  THE  PURPLE  HILLS. 

him  to  be  a  fiue  country,  and  it  wouid  be  just  the 
place  for  the  surplus  population  of  China.  I  am 
at  a  loss  to  know  whether  the  English  claim  Africa 
by  right  of  discovery,  a  la  Livingston,  or  whether 
it  belongs  to  the  New  York  Herald  ;  if  it  should 
be  the  latter,  I  suppose  it  will  in  time  be  settled 
with  Sbme  race  of  Democrats. 

A  girt  eleven  years  of  age,  fell  into  a  miner's 
flume  and  was  carried  about  five  hundred  yards, 
passing. over  two  falls  of  water  in  the  meantime, 
the  one  twelve,  the  other  twenty  feet  high.  She 
at  last  caught  hold  of  a  bent  and  crawled  out  with- 
out assistance,  but  was  so  stupified  that  she  could 
not  tell  what  had  happened  her.  She  has  recov- 
ered from  her  bruises,  and  is  now  able  to  attend 
school.  She  is  a  fleshy  little  dump,  and  says  she 
sat  upright  all  the  way  on  her  perilous  ride.  Grace 
Greenwood  recommends  this  method  to  the  ladies 
of  Washington,  who  desire  to  descend  the  stone 
steps  of  that  city,  to  gather  up  their  skirts,  and 
slide,  as  being  the  only  reliable  mode  of  descent. 


RENO,    NE 


AS  wo  proce  ward  by  the  C.  P.  R.  R., 

the  mountain  peaks  become  magnificent  in 
r  moving  mantles  of  transparent  snows;   and 
be  mist  is  driven  before  the  wind,  it  forms  in 
long  folds,  reaching   up   and  down  the  height  of 
peak,   and  suggests  the  idea  of  thinly   clad 
its  flitting  around  these  venerable  piles,  play- 
Mi  nd-man's  buff,  or  hide-and-seek.     Although 
it  is  late  in  the  season,  many  of  these  mighty  ele- 
vations still  wear  dresses  with  white  groundwork', 
imented    with    trees    and   shiubs  of   a    veiy 
doubtful  green.     -The    breath   that    comes   from 
these  distant  hills  would  lead  one  to  believe  that 
the  Polar  doors  had  been  left  ajar. 

At  Reno  the  following  morning   the  storm  still 
continues  ;  it  has  softened  into  a  cold,  disagreeable 

(333) 


334  OVER   THE   PURPLE   IIILLS. 

rain,  and  instead  of  the  ghostly  folds  of  white, 
the  mountains  are  draped  with  mantles  of  purple 
mist.  At  this  point  the  Truckee  river  begins  to 
prove  its  claims  to  the  dignified  name  of  river; 
it  shows  its  power  by  branching  out  and  surround- 
ing little  tracts  of  land,  forming  islands,  imitating 
some  corporations  in  its  headstrong  way,  to  sur- 
round and  hold  all  unclaimed  lands  on  its  march 
to  lake  or  ocean,  Reno  is  situated  in  a  dry,  barren 
section  of  count r}^,  everything  having  a  bleached 
appearance.  The  sidewalks  are  bleached  and  full 
of  holes.  The  Washoe  zephyr,  of  which  Mark 
Twaiu  makes  mention,  keeps  the  streets  with  a 
fearfully  swept  appearance  ;  these  gusts  of  wind 
literally  scattering  the  old  boots  and  cast-off  paper 
collars  to  the  four  winds.  One  of  these  zephyrs 
caught  me  and  I  came  near  being  scattered  in  the 
same  manner.  The  trimmings  of  my  skirt  an- 
swered to  the  buckets  of  a  dip  water  wheel,  which 
the  wind  struck  with  such  force  as  to  cause  a 
revolving  motion.  I  might  have  continued  turn- 
ing around  until  this  time,  but  the  current  con- 
centrated all  its  forces  upon  my  hat,  and  it  rolled 
just  as  the  plate  did  when  the  dish  went  after  the 


RENO,    NEVADA.  335 

spoon.     I  do  not  think  that  anything  but  a  f 
could  have  caught  up  with   it,  but  that   it  lodged 
by  a  stick   of  timber,  where  it  was  made  to  . 
dive,    and  dance   a   hornpipe    by    the    mer< 
zephyr. 

All  serene  again  in  this  part  of  the  con 
The  sun  is  shining  on  the  contented  face  of  na- 
ture as  if  nothing  had  transpired  different  from 
the  ordinary  course  of  things.  It  seems  almost 
mockery  tor  old  Sol  now  to  overcome  the  clouds, 
come  out  and  greet  with  smiles  the  smoking  earth, 
ti  nearly  all  kinds  of  vegetation  have  been  de- 
stroyed by  frost,  which  his  timely  presence  might 
have  saved.     The  people  of  Reno  Bii  ;  ■  mn 

that  has  the  line  in  it  tl  "December's 

pleasant  Uo  May."     For  three  nights  the  gardens 
were  covered   with  all   kinds   of  clothing;    in  the 
dim  light  of  the  cold  moon   they  appeared  like  a 
congregation  of   sleeping    camels    or  hui 
ghosts.     The  ever-present  snge  brush  is  the 
green    thing    not   injured    by    the    frost, 
reminds  me  of  the  terrible  impatient  expression  ot 
countenance  upon  a  little  boy  who  was  corning  on 
the  cars  to  California.     lie  became  so  tired  ot  the 


336 


OVER  THE  PURPLE  HILLS. 


everlasting  monotony  of  sage  brush,  that  he  turned 
to  his  father  and  said  :  Papa  why  don't  the  peo- 
ple cut  down  this  ugly  weed  ?"  His  father 
answered,  "Because  there  are  no  people  living 
here  ray  son."  Well,"  said  the  boy,  in  an  impet- 
uous way,  "they  should  cut  it  down  anyway  if 
they  do  not  live  here." 

For  a  few  days  past,  during  the  late  storm,  the 
clouds  have  hung  around  in  such  impenetrable 
blackness,  that  one  would  be  led  to  think  that  this 
mountain  range  was  the  nursery  of  all  the  great 
thunder  and  wind  storms  for  the  whole  continent. 


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